PHTN1300 Lab 5

Jake Laroche
4179945
December 5th, 2012

Abstract

Throughout this lab we aligned our HeNe laser perfectly in order for it
to lase. To do this we have to line up the HR and OC mirrors so that the
laser would lase. We first had to line up the HR laser and then rock and
sweep the OC mirror until the laser would commence lasing. Once we
had the laser lasing we were able to zero the power meter and then
measure the ouput power of the laser. Once we found the power of the
laser we could adjust the nobs on the OC mirror in order to optimize
the output power of our HeNe laser. With our laser lasing at the most
possible power we could adjust it to we could then find the modes. For
each and every mode which we found we also attained the power of
each mode we had found. With spinning of the nobs we were able to
attain the modes TEM10 with an power of 3.7mW, TEM01 with a power
of 5.1mW, and TEM11 with a power of 5.1mW. With knowing the total
loss equation we are able to modify the gain equation in order to find
the actual gain of our laser. Our actual gain for the laser once
calculated was 0.0559 m1 . The intracavity power was calculated to be
510mW, and our calculations for small signal gain was 0.1290 m1 with
the glass slide at 37 and 0.1305 m1 at 67, a saturation power of
0.274 W and an expected power output of 4.61mW.

Background

A Laser has what they call a gain curve. The modes which we found in
our lab all occur along the gain curve. Modes which are located at the
center of the gain curve will have much higher output powers. Modes
which are near the edge of the gain curve will have a considerably less
output power. HeNe laser have much smaller gain curves which means
that there are far fewer modes in the output of the laser.
When we had to align our laser we first had to set up all of our mirror
and laser mounts. Once everything was set up we observed through
the HR mirror and lined up and lamp and continuously moved it up and
down until we were able to see the filament through the cavity of the
laser. Once we had the filament lined up we set up the beam splitter so
that we could see the orange filament image. Once we were satisfied
with the alignment, we removed the beam splitter and the lamp and
placed in the OC. We then turned on our power supply, which was
connected to our laser tube, and adjusted the height of the OC mirror
so the light would reflect back onto the laser. We then rocked the OC
forward and back and swept the OC from left to right at the same time.
If we had our Laser aligned correctly, when we had the laser swept into
the correct position the laser would oscillate and then stop in other
words the laser would flicker. Once we had found this spot we then
would adjust the nob until the laser continuously oscillates.
Autocollimation is an optical setup where a collimated beam of parallel
light rays exits an optical system and is reflected back into the exact
same optical system by a plane mirror. This is used to measure small
tilting angles of the mirrors or for testing how efficient the optical
system is. A special application is to determine the focal length of a
diverging lens. A light source is placed at twice the focal length of a
converging lens on the one side and there is a screen at the same
distance on the other side, therefore the image on the light source is
the sharpest possible. The screen is then replaced with a mirror and
the diverging lens is inserted between the converging lens, and the
light source at this distance from the mirror so the light which is
returning through the diverging lens and converging lens produces the
sharp image on top of the object. This is where the beam which is
hitting the mirror is collimated.
The image below is showing what Autocollimation is.

Brewsters window is used in many lasers especially low power lasers to

allow certain polarization to pass through the window without and
losses. Brewsters window is a glass slide at an angle of 57 degrees.
This allows one polarization of the light to pass through it. The
polarization which runs through the window will have no losses
therefore it will have a higher gain which then will let the laser to lase
more stable. The loss vs angle can be calculated using two different
equations. These equations are called Snells law and the Fresnels
equations.
Snells Law
( sin i ni=sin r n r
Fresnels Equation
RP =( n r cos icos r /nr cos i+ cos r )2
In both these equations i is the angle at which the glass slide is at.
The reflective indexes of the glass are shown as ni and nr .
The following diagram shows Brewsters Angle.

Procedure
1. Set up 2 mells-griot laser tube mounts and place them on the
optical breadboard.
2. Place the HeNe laser tube on the mounts and tighten the holders
tight enough to hold the laser in pace without it moving, but not
too tight to damage the tube.
3. Attach the HR to a stand using 4 washers and a metric screw, the
side with a notch in it must be facing down and mount it in the
same row as the laser tube on the cathode side.
4. Mount and line up the lamp. Align the lamp so that when looking
through the HR you can see the filament through the laser in the
middle.
5. Mount a beam splitter on a stand, place it in between the lamp
and the laser window. Rotate it until you can observe the light
coming from the laser window.
6. Slowly move the HR nobs until an orange filament image appears
in the center of the laser window.
7. Remove the lamp and beam splitter from the experiment.
8. Mount the OC on a stand.
9. Attach the power cables to the laser tube and turn it on.
10.
Tilt the vertical of the OC back so the light that is reflected
back is partially over the window.
11.
Turn the horizontal tilt so the reflected light is to the left of
the window.
12.
Slowly turn the horizontal nobs so the light sweeps from
the left to the right, as you do this you have to rock the OC mirror
forward and back.
13.
As you sweep the light from the left to the right and rock
the vertical of the OC, if you have your laser aligned correctly the
laser should flicker and once you have the laser flickering you

have to adjust the vertical of the OC and it will then start to

oscillate.
14.
Use the vertical and horizontal knobs to adjust the angles
until the beam is brightest.
15.
Mount a photo-detector on a stand and adjust the nobs of
the OC mirror and this will optimize the output power of your
laser.
16.
Adjust the nobs on the OC mirror to observe as many
different modes as possible.
17.
Record the modes observed and record their power levels.
18.
Mount a clean glass slide on a rotating angle stand
between the laser and the OC.
19.
Turn the angle stand until the beam outputs the maximum
power, this point will be your reference of 57 degrees.
20.
Move the angle stand in 2 degree increments until the
laser stops oscillating. Move both up and down from your
reference Brewsters angle.

Observations
Modes
The following images are the modes, which we have attained during
our lab. Under each image will be the power levels of which we have
recorded for each mode found.

The power observed for the TEM 10 was 3.7mW

The power observed for the TEM 01 was 5.1mW

The power observed for the TEM 11 was 5.1mW

The following table shows the Power vs Percentage loss and the Power
vs Percentage loss.
Slide
Angle

Power
mW
37
39
41
43
45
47
49
51
53
55
57
59
61
63
65
67

0
0.17
0.2
0.32
0.46
0.61
0.85
1.14
1.36
1.66
1.8
1.68
1.3
0.76
0.24
0

Percent
Loss
100
90.56
88.89
82.23
74.45
61.78
57.23
36.67
24.45
7.78
0
6.66
27.78
57.78
86.67
100

The following graphs take the data from the above table and show the
relationship between Power vs Angle and Power vs Percentage Loss.

Power vs. Angle

120
100
80
Power

60

Power vs. Angle

40
20
0
35

40

45

50

55

60

65

70

Angle

Power vs percent loss

120
100

Power vs percent loss

80
Power

Logarithmic (Power vs
percent loss)

60

Linear (Power vs
percent loss)

40
20
0
0

0.5

1.5

Percentage Loss

Calculations
The following calculations are sample calculations for the glass slide at
37 degrees and 67 Degrees.
37 Degrees Calculations
Snells Law

sin i / nr =sin r /n i

sin 37/1.54=sin r /1.00

r =sin1 [1.00 ( sin 37 /1.54 ) ]

sin r =1.00 ( sin37 /1.54 )

r =23 Degrees

Fresnel Equation
RP =

n r cos icos r
nr cos i +cos r

1.54 cos 37cos 23

1.54 cos 37+cos 23
RP =.0207
RP =

Fresnel Equation

cos inr cos r

RS =
cos i+ nr cos r
2

RS =

371.54 cos 23
{cos
cos 37+1.54 cos 23 }

RS =0.0780
Transmittance
T =( 1R P ) 100
T =( 1.0207 ) 100
T =0.9793 100
T =97.93
67 Degrees Calculations
Snells Law
sin 67/1.54=sin r /1.00
sin r =1.00 ( sin67 /1.54 )
1
r =sin [1.00 ( sin 67 /1.54 ) ]
r =36.71
Fresnel Equation

sin i / nr =sin r /n i

n cos icos r
RP = r
nr cos i +cos r

1.54 cos 67cos 36.71

RP =
1.54 cos 67+cos 36.71
RP =.0203

Fresnel Equation
RS =

cos inr cos r

cos i+ nr cos r

cos 671.54 cos 36.71

cos 67+1.54 cos 36.71
RS =.2695
RS =

Transmittance
T =( 1R P ) 100
T =( 1.0203 ) 100
T =0.97 .97 100
T =97.97
The following table is a sum up of all the calculations for 37 and 67
degrees with a plus or minus of 1 degree.

Angle
36
37
38
66
67
68

22.44
23
23.56
36.39
36.71
37.01

Rp
Rs
T
0.1942
0.0757
80.58
0.0203
0.078
97.97
0.0219
0.0804
97.81
0.0155
0.2559
98.45
0.0207
0.2695
97.93
0.0259
0.0259
97.41

Calculations Continued
The following calculations are sample calculations of small signal gain
of 37 and 67 degrees with a plus or minus of 1 degree
Intracavity Power

POUT
T OC
5.10 mW
P=
0.01
P=510 mW
P=

HR Transmittance

( PP ) 100

T=

OUT

100
( 51065 W
mW )

T=

T =0.0127
HR Reflectivity
R HR=100T
R HR=1000.0127
R HR=99.99
Attenuation
y=( length of tube )( loss )
0.005 m
( 0.34 m ) (1)
y =
y=0.0017
Small Signal Gain with glass slide @ 37 degrees
1=R HR R OC e2 g x e2 x W 4 T 2
x
1
1
g = a a +
ln
4 2
xg 2 xg
R HR ROC W T

( 0.0017 ) ( 0.34 )
1
1
+
ln
0.28
( 2 ) ( 0.28 )
( 0.99999 )( 0.99 )( 0.9950 )4 ( 0.9797 )2
g =0.1290 m1

g =

Small Signal Gain with glass slide @ 67 degrees

1=R HR R OC e2 g x e2 x W 4 T 2

 a xa 1
1
+
ln
4 2
xg 2 xg
R HR ROC W T
( 0.0017 ) ( 0.34 )
1
1
g =
+
ln
0.28
( 2 ) ( 0.28 )
( 0.99999 )( 0.99 )( 0.9950 )4 ( 0.9793 )2

g =

g =0.1305 m1
The following table is a sum up of small signal gain for 37 and 67
degrees with a plus or minus of 1 degree.
Angle of
Slide
36
37
38
66
67
68

Small
Gain
0.8286
1
m
0.129
m1
0.1495
m1
0.1116
m1
0.1305
m1
0.1349
m1

Calculations Continued
The following calculations are sample calculations for the gain
threshold without a glass slide.
Gain Threshold (No slide)
1=R HR R OC e2 g

W8
1
2 g th x g2 a x a=ln
R HR R OC W 8
x
1
1
gth = a a +
ln
xg 2 xg
R HR ROC W 4
th

x g 2 a x a

(
(

(0.0017)(0.34)
1
1
+
ln
4
0.28
(2)(0.28)
(0.9999)(0.99)(0.9950)
gth =0.0559 m1
gth =

Other Calculations
The following are calculations of saturation intensity, saturation power,
P, and Poc
Saturation intensity
I SAT =hc /
34
8
9
17
9
I SAT =(6.626 10 )(3.0 10 )/(632.8 10 )( 3 10 )(30 10 )
I SAT =348975.6 W /m2
Saturated power
PSAT =I SAT x ( amplifier area)
2
PSAT =I SAT x ( r )
2
PSAT =( 348975.6 W /m2 ) ( )( 0.0005 m )
PSAT =0.274 W
Predicted Intracavity Power
gth =g /1+ / ( saturated)
P=( saturated ) ( g /gth 1 )
P=0.274128 ( 0.15 m1 /0.0559 m11 )
P=461.46 mW

Expected OC power output

POC =P T OC
POC =461.46 0.01
POC =4.61m W

Conclusion
The results from this lab show that the gain of the HeNe laser, which
we used, had a calculated gain of 0.0559 m1 . In the laser which we
used it had a Brewsters window. With this Brewsters window it allowed
us to calculate our gain in the laser cavity. This window also replaced
the planar window. This window only allowed one polarization through
without any loss. The intracavity power was calculated to be 510mW,
and our calculations for small signal gain was 0.1290 m1 with the
glass slide at 37 and 0.1305 m1 at 67, a saturation power of
0.274 W and an expected power output of 4.61mW. In this lab TE
modes were also observed. The mode, which gave us the most power
output, was the 11 mode. The mode which should be used is the 00
mode because this mode is in the center of the gain curve which
means it is supposed to have the highest output power of all the
modes.

References
1)Image1: http://www.google.ca/search?
hl=en&q=autocollimation&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&bpcl=3965038
2&biw=1024&bih=636&um=1&ie=UTF8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=nijAUMa-J8ejyAH6ooDgDw
2)Image2:
http://www.google.ca/imgres?
q=brewsters+Angle&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&tbo=d&biw=1024&bih=63
6&tbm=isch&tbnid=ZSFh0tBloUF01M:&imgrefurl=http://en.wikipedia.o
rg/wiki/Brewster
%27s_angle&docid=uS8L7hfNakfOSM&imgurl=http://upload.wikimedia
.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Brewsters-angle.svg/250pxBrewstersangle.svg.png&w=250&h=218&ei=bDDAUP3WIcSCyAHgtICICQ&zoom

=1&iact=hc&vpx=4&vpy=183&dur=635&hovh=174&hovw=200&tx=
129&ty=105&sig=117125204020982708385&page=1&tbnh=149&tbn
w=171&start=0&ndsp=14&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0,i:85
3) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autocollimation