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Questions and Answers
What is the purpose of the helical xenon flash tube in the ruby laser construction?
What is the function of the fully silvered end of the ruby rod in the laser construction?
What leads to the population inversion in the ruby laser?
What triggers stimulated emission in the ruby laser?
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What is the function of liquid nitrogen in the ruby laser construction?
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Study Notes
Ruby Laser Construction and Working
- The ruby laser consists of a several centimeters long and a few millimeters in diameter ruby rod with one fully silvered end and the other semisilvered.
- It is surrounded by a helical xenon flash tube for pumping and is cooled using liquid nitrogen.
- The process starts with the absorption of blue-green photons by chromium atoms in the ruby rod, exciting them to a higher energy state.
- As the excited atoms fall back to the ground state by spontaneous emission, they emit red light, giving the ruby its natural red color.
- The uppermost energy band of the chromium atoms is wide and has a short lifetime, accepting a wide range of wavelengths.
- The excited atoms rapidly relax and drop to the next lower state, a metastable state with a lifetime of about 10^-3 seconds (non-radiative transition).
- This process leads to a population inversion, where atoms in the higher energy state exceed those in the lower energy state.
- When a suitable photon is incident on the system, it triggers stimulated emission.
- Stimulated emission leads to a cumulative process, resulting in the emission of a coherent laser beam through the semisilvered end of the ruby rod.
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Description
Test your knowledge of the construction and operation of a ruby laser with this quiz. Explore the key components, such as the ruby rod, silvered ends, xenon flash tube, and cooling system, that make the ruby laser a powerful tool in various applications.
