Laser physics is the study of the principles and mechanisms that allow for the generation, amplification, and manipulation of coherent light through stimulated emission. It encompasses the understanding of optical resonators, gain media, and the quantum mechanics underlying photon emission and absorption processes.

Laser Physics

Laser physics

Coherent light is a type of light in which the waves maintain a constant phase relationship, allowing them to interfere constructively or destructively. This property is essential for applications like lasers, holography, and optical communications, where precise control over light is required.

coherent light

Stimulated emission is a process where an incoming photon induces an excited electron to drop to a lower energy level, emitting a second photon with the same phase, frequency, polarization, and direction as the incoming photon. This principle is fundamental to the operation of lasers, where it leads to the amplification of light.

stimulated emission

Optical resonators are structures that confine and sustain electromagnetic waves, typically in the form of light, by repeated reflection between mirrors or other boundary conditions. They are fundamental components in lasers and optical cavities, enhancing light-matter interactions and enabling precise control over light properties such as frequency, phase, and intensity.

optical resonators

gain media

Quantum mechanics is a fundamental theory in physics that describes the physical properties of nature at the smallest scales, such as atoms and subatomic particles. It introduces concepts like wave-particle duality, uncertainty principle, and quantum entanglement, which challenge classical intuitions about the behavior of matter and energy.

quantum mechanics

Photon emission is the process by which an atom or molecule releases a photon, typically when an electron transitions from a higher energy level to a lower one. This fundamental mechanism is responsible for phenomena such as fluorescence, phosphorescence, and the emission of light from stars and other celestial bodies.

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