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Springer Series in Optical Sciences 220

Hans Joachim Eichler · Jürgen Eichler

Oliver Lux

Lasers
Basics, Advances and Applications
Springer Series in Optical Sciences

Volume 220

Founded by
H. K. V. Lotsch

Editor-in-chief
William T. Rhodes, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, USA

Series editors
Ali Adibi, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, USA
Toshimitsu Asakura, Hokkai-Gakuen University, Sapporo, Japan
Theodor W. Hänsch, Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, Garching, Germany
Ferenc Krausz, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Garching, Germany
Barry R. Masters, Cambridge, USA
Katsumi Midorikawa, Saitama, Japan
Bo A. J. Monemar, Department of Physics and Measurement Technology,
Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
Herbert Venghaus, Fraunhofer Institut für Nachrichtentechnik, Berlin, Germany
Horst Weber, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Harald Weinfurter, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, München,
Germany
Springer Series in Optical Sciences is led by Editor-in-Chief William T. Rhodes,
Georgia Institute of Technology, USA, and provides an expanding selection of
research monographs in all major areas of optics:
– lasers and quantum optics
– ultrafast phenomena
– optical spectroscopy techniques
– optoelectronics
– information optics
– applied laser technology
– industrial applications and
– other topics of contemporary interest
With this broad coverage of topics the series is useful to research scientists and
engineers who need up-to-date reference books.

More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/624

Hans Joachim Eichler Jürgen Eichler
•

Oliver Lux

Lasers
Basics, Advances and Applications

123
Hans Joachim Eichler Oliver Lux
Institut für Optik und Atomare Physik Institute of Atmospheric Physics
Technische Universität Berlin German Aerospace Center (DLR)
Berlin, Germany Weßling, Germany

Jürgen Eichler
Beuth Hochschule für Technik
Berlin, Germany

ISSN 0342-4111 ISSN 1556-1534 (electronic)

Springer Series in Optical Sciences
ISBN 978-3-319-99893-0 ISBN 978-3-319-99895-4 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-99895-4

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018952904

© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2018

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Preface

This book provides a comprehensive overview of various laser sources and their
applications in the fields of science, industry, and medicine. After an introduction to
the basics of laser physics, different laser types and materials are summarized in the
context of a historical survey, outlining the development of laser technology since
the first experimental demonstration in 1960. Gas lasers and a wide range of
solid-state and semiconductor lasers are described with particular attention to
high-power sources. The monograph predominantly focuses on the laser materials
while electrical power supplies and mechanical engineering are only sketched.
Laser beam propagation both in free-space and optical fibers, different resonator
designs as well as the functionality of various optical and opto-electronic laser
components are treated from an engineering point of view. Laser modulation and
pulse generation are reviewed leading to the discussion of extreme laser sources
with ultra-short pulse widths below femtoseconds and pulse peak powers greater
than petawatts. The book also describes techniques for nonlinear frequency con-
version extending the range of available laser frequencies into the THz- and X-ray
region.
Finally, the great importance of lasers in everyday life and modern technology as
well as its potential for future developments is discussed. The focus is on
biomedical and material processing applications, but prestigious large-scale projects
for gravitational wave detection, laser fusion, and spaceborne lidar missions are also
presented.
The book gives a broad and up-to-date coverage of laser photonics and
opto-electronics, providing main results and recent advancements rather than
in-depth theoretical treatment. Following in the steps of eight German and two
Russian editions, this new English edition is targeted not only at university stu-
dents, physicists, and engineers but also at any scientist and professional applying
lasers in biomedicine, material processing, consumer products, and their
manufacturing.
We acknowledge the scientific and technical support of recent and present
members of the Laser Group at the Technische Universität Berlin, C. Junghans,
J. Laufer, S. G. Strohmaier, M. H. Azhdast, and I. Usenov as well as representatives

v
vi Preface

of the worldwide laser community, V. Artyushenko, ART photonics GmbH, Berlin,

Germany, C. Ascheron, Springer Verlag, Heidelberg, Germany, W. Gries, NKT
Photonics, Copenhagen, Denmark, W. Bohn, German Aerospace Center, Stuttgart,
Germany, D. A. Pintsov, San Diego, USA, and M. Schulze, Coherent Inc., Santa
Clara, USA.

Berlin, Germany Hans Joachim Eichler

October 2018 Jürgen Eichler
Oliver Lux
Contents

Part I Emission of Light and Laser Fundamentals

1 Light, Atoms, Molecules, Solids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.1 Characteristics of Light: Waves and Photons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.2 Atoms: Energy Levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
1.3 Many-Electron Atoms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
1.4 Molecules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
1.5 Energy Levels in Solids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
1.6 Energy Bands in Semiconductors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Further Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
2 Absorption and Emission of Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
2.1 Absorption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
2.2 Spontaneous Emission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
2.3 Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
2.4 Linewidth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
2.5 Population Inversion, Gain Depletion and Saturation . . . . . . . . . 39
2.6 Light Emission by Accelerated Electrons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
2.7 Basic Laser Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
2.8 Temporal Emission Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Further Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
3 Laser Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
3.1 Wavelengths and Output Powers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
3.2 Tunable Lasers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
3.3 Frequency-Stable Lasers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
3.4 High-Power Lasers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
3.5 Ultra-short Light Pulses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
3.6 Beam Parameters and Stability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Further Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

vii
viii Contents

Part II Gas and Liquid Lasers

4 Laser Transitions in Neutral Atoms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
4.1 Helium–Neon Lasers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
4.2 Atomic Metal Vapor Lasers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
4.3 Iodine Lasers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Further Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
5 Ion Lasers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
5.1 Lasers for Short Wavelengths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
5.2 Noble Gas Ion Lasers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
5.3 Metal Vapor Ion Lasers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Further Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
6 Infrared Molecular Gas Lasers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
6.1 Far-Infrared Lasers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
6.2 CO2 Lasers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
6.3 CO Lasers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
6.4 HF Lasers, Chemical Lasers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Further Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
7 Ultraviolet Molecular Gas Lasers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
7.1 Nitrogen Lasers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
7.2 Excimer Lasers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Further Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
8 Dye Lasers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
8.1 Laser Action in Dyes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
8.2 Laser-Pumped Dye Lasers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
8.3 Polymer and Liquid Crystal Lasers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Further Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130

Part III Solid-State and Semiconductor Lasers

9 Solid-State Lasers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
9.1 Ruby Lasers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
9.2 Neodymium Lasers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
9.3 Erbium, Holmium and Thulium Lasers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
9.4 Tunable Solid-State Lasers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
9.5 Diode Pumping and High-Power Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Further Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
10 Semiconductor Lasers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
10.1 Light Amplification in p-n Diodes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
10.2 GaAlAs and InGaAsP Lasers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
10.3 Design of Diode Lasers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Contents ix

10.4 Characteristics of Diode Laser Emission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184

10.5 Wavelength Selection and Tuning of Diode Lasers . . . . . . . . . . 189
10.6 Surface-Emitting Diode Lasers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
10.7 Semiconductor Lasers for the Mid-IR and THz-Region . . . . . . . 195
10.8 Ultraviolet and Visible InGaAs Lasers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
10.9 Diode Lasers for Optical Communication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Further Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203

Part IV Free and Guided Light Wave Propagation

11 Laser Beam Propagation in Free Space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
11.1 Plane and Spherical Waves, Diffraction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
11.2 Gaussian Beams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
11.3 Propagation of Gaussian Beams Through Lenses . . . . . . . . . . . 216
11.4 Telescopes and Spatial Frequency Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
11.5 Propagation of Multimode, Real Laser Beams . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Further Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
12 Optical Resonators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
12.1 Plane-Mirror Resonators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
12.2 Spherical-Mirror Resonators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
12.3 Resonator Configurations and Stability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Further Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
13 Optical Waveguides and Glass Fibers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
13.1 Optical Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
13.2 Planar, Rectangular and Cylindrical Waveguides . . . . . . . . . . . 248
13.3 Fiber Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
13.4 Fiber Damping, Dispersion and Nonlinearities . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Further Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266

Part V Optical Elements for Lasers

14 Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
14.1 Reflection and Refraction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
14.2 Dielectric Multilayer Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
14.3 Beam Splitters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
14.4 Phase Conjugate Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
Further Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
15 Polarization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
15.1 Types of Polarization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
15.2 Birefringence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
15.3 Polarizers and Retardation Plates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294
Further Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298
x Contents

16 Modulation and Deflection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299

16.1 Mechanical Modulators and Scanners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
16.2 Acousto-optic Modulators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301
16.3 Electro-optic Modulators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305
16.4 Optical Isolators and Saturable Absorbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
Further Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311

Part VI Laser Operation Modes

17 Pulsed Operation . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315
17.1 Laser Spiking . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316
17.2 Q-Switching . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
17.3 Cavity-Dumping . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322
17.4 Mode-Locking . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322
17.5 Amplification and Compression . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331
Further Reading . . . . . . ........... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334
18 Frequency Selection and Tuning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335
18.1 Frequency Tuning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335
18.2 Longitudinal Mode Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336
18.3 Prisms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341
18.4 Gratings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 342
18.5 Fabry-Pérot Etalons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 344
18.6 Birefringent Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 346
Further Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 348
19 Frequency Conversion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 349
19.1 Doppler Effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 349
19.2 Nonlinear Optical Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350
19.3 Second and Higher Harmonic Generation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351
19.4 Parametric Amplifiers and Oscillators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357
19.5 Stimulated Raman Scattering and Raman Lasers . . . . . . . . . . . . 359
19.6 Supercontinuum Generation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363
Further Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365
20 Stability and Coherence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 367
20.1 Power Stability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 367
20.2 Frequency Stability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 369
20.3 Shot Noise and Squeezed States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373
20.4 Coherence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375
Further Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 378
Contents xi

Part VII Laser Metrology and Spectroscopy

21 Photodetectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 381
21.1 Radiometric and Photometric Quantities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 381
21.2 Thermal Detectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 382
21.3 Vacuum Photodetectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385
21.4 Semiconductor Detectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389
21.5 Autocorrelation and FROG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394
Further Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 395
22 Spectrometers and Interferometers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 397
22.1 Prism Spectrometers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 397
22.2 Grating Spectrometers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 399
22.3 Double Beam Interferometers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 399
22.4 Fabry-Pérot and Fizeau Interferometers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 401
22.5 Optical Heterodyne Detection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403
22.6 Optical Frequency Combs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 404
Further Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 406

Part VIII Material Processing, Medicine and Further Applications

23 Material Processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 409
23.1 Laser Interaction with Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 409
23.2 Lasers for Material Processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 411
23.3 Processing Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 414
Further Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 421
24 Medical Applications and Biophotonics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 423
24.1 Operating Regimes of Medical Lasers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 423
24.2 Laser Surgery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 428
24.3 Biophotonics and Spectroscopic Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 435
24.4 Biological Aspects of Laser Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 445
Further Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 458
25 Further Applications and Future Potential . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459
25.1 Lasers in Everyday Life and Consumer Goods . . . . . . . . . . . . . 460
25.2 Optical Communication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 467
25.3 Light Detection and Ranging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 470
25.4 Holography and Interferometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 475
25.5 Free-Electron Lasers, X-Ray and XUV Lasers, Atom Lasers . . . 479
25.6 Gravitational Wave Detection and Extreme
High-Power Lasers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 494
25.7 Perspectives of Laser Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 499
25.8 Economic Aspects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 502
Further Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 504
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 505
 Part I
Emission of Light and Laser
Fundamentals

Since the experimental realization of the first lasers, the ruby laser in 1960 and the
helium–neon laser in 1961, many further systems have been developed. At the
beginning of this book, the basics of laser physics are introduced, followed by the
description of the most important and prevalent laser types: gas and liquid lasers as
well as solid-state and semiconductor lasers. Afterward, the focus is put on optical
elements and electronic components used for modification and characterization of
laser beams. The large variety of laser systems, their different operating modes, and
their manifold properties allow for numerous applications in science and technology
as well as in everyday life. The enormous application potential of lasers is presented
in the final chapters.
Chapter 1
Light, Atoms, Molecules, Solids

In contrast to light emitted by light bulbs, gas discharge lamps or LEDs, lasers are
characterized by low divergence, narrow linewidth, high intensity and the possi-
bility for generating short pulses. The following chapter provides an overview of
the fundamentals required for the understanding of lasers. In particular, the prop-
erties of light and the energy states of atoms, molecules and solids which emit light
by laser transitions are discussed.

1.1 Characteristics of Light: Waves and Photons

Simplified models are often used for the description of light. A first approach are
light rays emerging from light sources, e.g. the sun or a laser. According to
quantum theory, these rays can be considered as straight stream of light particles or
photons that are emitted from the source. However, the bending of light around the
corners of an obstacle which occurs for example when light is guided through a
narrow aperture cannot be explained by the particle model. Here, light is better
described in terms of waves. A unified theory taking account of the wave-particle
duality of light requires advanced mathematics and will thus not be used in the
following. For most phenomena either the particle model or the wave model is
sufficient for understanding the behavior of light. For instance, light absorption and
emission is best described in terms of the particle model, whereas the wave model is
most appropriate for explaining light propagation and interference.

Light Waves, Electromagnetic Radiation

In wave optics light is regarded as electromagnetic wave which is a transverse wave

of a coupled electric field E and magnetic field H which oscillate periodically at the
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2018 3
H. J. Eichler et al., Lasers, Springer Series in Optical Sciences 220,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-99895-4_1
4 1 Light, Atoms, Molecules, Solids

x
E
particle model
c λ

y H

wave model

Fig. 1.1 Electric E and magnetic field H of a plane wave at a fixed time. The wave propagates
along the z direction, while the distance to the light source is assumed to be large compared to the
wavelength k (far field regime). The figure also illustrates the particle model which considers light
as a stream of photons

same frequency f. The vectors E and H are perpendicular to each other and per-
pendicular to the direction of energy and wave propagation, as shown in Fig. 1.1,
which depicts the two fields at a fixed time along the propagation direction.
For visualizing the spatial structure of light waves, the wave fronts (or phase
fronts) are considered, e.g. planes of maximum field amplitude at a fixed time. The
distance between adjacent phase fronts is the wavelength k. While the phase fronts
of a plane wave are parallel planes, they are concentric spheres in case of a spherical
wave, as illustrated in Fig. 1.2. A spatially narrow portion of a wave can be
regarded as a beam whose the propagation direction is perpendicular to the
respective wave fronts. The frequency f, wavelength k and propagation velocity
c are related to each other:

c¼kf : ð1:1Þ

In vacuum, the light velocity is c = 2.998  108 m/s. The reciprocal of the
wavelength 1/k is referred to as wavenumber (unit: cm−1). A more comprehensive
treatment of light propagation is given in Chap. 11.
Most optical phenomena can be accounted for by only considering the electric
field. However, the field (strength) is difficult to measure because of the high

propagation
λ direction

propagation
direction

Fig. 1.2 Simplified illustration of light waves. Left: plane wave propagating in one direction,
right: spherical wave propagating in radial directions. The propagation direction is perpendicular to
the phase fronts (or wave fronts) which are indicated as black lines and describe planes or spheres
of equal phase, e.g. maximum amplitude
1.1 Characteristics of Light: Waves and Photons 5

frequency of light. Instead the power density or intensity I can be determined which
is defined as the time-averaged square of the field amplitude E:
pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
I¼ ee0 =ll0  E 2 : ð1:2Þ

In this equation, e0 = 8.854  10−12 As/Vm is the vacuum permittivity, e is the

relative permittivity, l0 = 4p  10−7 Vs/Am is the vacuum permeability and µ is
the relative permeability. The horizontal bar on top of E2 indicates the temporal
average. The units of the electric field E and the intensity I are V/m and W/m2,
pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
respectively. The proportionality constant Z ¼ ee0 =ll0 has the dimension of an
impedance and is thus referred to as wave impedance. For vacuum and air (e = 1,
pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
µ = 1), the impedance is Z ¼ e0 =l0  377 X.
In a transparent medium, light propagation is slower than in vacuum and the
light velocity c′ is given as

c0 ¼ c=n: ð1:3aÞ

The material constant n is the refractive index which is related to the relative
permittivity and permeability:
pffiffiffiffiffi
n ¼ el: ð1:3bÞ

When light is incident on the interface between two media of different refractive
indices n1 and n2, the relationship between the angle of incidence a1 and the angle
of refraction a2 is described by Snell’s law:
n1 sin a1 ¼ n2 sin a2 ; ð1:4Þ

where the angles are defined with respect to the normal to the interface.
The intensity I, which describes the power density per area carried by the wave,
is related to the energy density q (per volume), thus defining the energy transmitted
per unit area and time:

I ¼ q c; ð1:5Þ

Photons

According to quantum theory, light can be discussed in terms of both particles and
waves. In the particle model, light is considered as quanta of the electromagnetic
field or photons which carry the energy W and move at the speed of light c

W ¼ hf ¼ hc=k : ð1:6Þ

Here, h = 6.626  10−34 Js is Planck’s constant, while f and k are the frequency
and wavelength, respectively. In atomic or laser physics, the photon energy is
6 1 Light, Atoms, Molecules, Solids

conveniently given in the unit electron volt which is written as eV. 1 eV is the
amount of energy (W = eU, e = 1.602  10−19 As) gained by the charge of a
single electron moving across an electric potential difference U of one volt:

1 eV ¼ 1:602  1019 J : ð1:7Þ

When the wavelength of the light k is known in µm, the corresponding photon
energy is W = 1.24 µm eV/k.
The energy density q and intensity I of light are related to the photon density U
(photons per area) and photon flux u (photons per area and time) as

q ¼ hf  U; ð1:8aÞ

I ¼ hf  u: ð1:8bÞ

Polarization

In case the direction of the electric field vector E is confined to a fixed plane along
the direction of propagation, the wave is said to be linearly polarized. A more
detailed discussion of polarization properties of light is provided in Chap. 15. The
light of most light sources (sun, light bulb, gas discharge lamp) is unpolarized and
can be regarded as a random mixture of waves with all possible polarization states.

Fig. 1.3 Spectral sensitivity

100
of the human eye:
V'(λ)
V(k) = light-adapted
(photopic) case, 10-1
V′(k) = dark-adapted
(scotopic) case 10-2 V(λ)
Relative Sensitivity

10-3

10-4

10-5

10-6

10-7
300 400 500 600 700 800
yellow, orange
ultraviolet

infrared
green
violet
blue

red

Wavelength / nm
18 1 Light, Atoms, Molecules, Solids

Transparent Crystals Doped with Foreign Atoms

Configuration disorder or the incorporation of foreign atoms introduces defects in

the lattice structure of solids. Electrons that are bound to those impurities show
characteristic energy states which are determined by the crystallographic defect and
the surrounding crystal lattice.
In solid-state lasers, crystals or glasses are doped with foreign atoms or ions,
mostly from metals like Ti, Ni, Cr, Co, Ni, or rare-earth elements like Nd, Ho and
Er. Ruby represents a typical example for such a combination of (host) crystal and
dopant. Here, chromium ions (Cr3+) are doped into a corundum (Al2O3) crystal
where they replace some of the Al3+-ions with a typical dopant concentration of
0.05% (see Sect. 9.1). The electrostatic crystal field influences the Cr3+-ions, but is
usually weaker than the Coulomb interaction between the electrons in the atom.
Nevertheless, it has an effect on the energy levels of the Cr3+, as shown in Fig. 1.12.
On the left-hand side the energies of the free ions are given. Owing to the cubic
component of the crystal field, the energy levels are shifted and split, resulting in
new isolated energy states as well as several energy bands which are indicated on
the right-hand side of the diagram. The trigonal component of the field and the
spin-orbit coupling give rise to further splitting (not shown in the figure). It should

4
T1

(3d3)2G
2
A1
34 4
(3d ) P T1
Energy

2
(3d3)4F T2
4
T2
2
T
2 1
E

4
[Ar] 3d3+ A2
1s2 2s2p6 3s2p6
energy level splitting splitting
of Cr 3+ due to due to
cubic trigonal crystal field and
crystal field spin-orbit interaction

Fig. 1.12 Energy level diagram of a ruby crystal (Cr3+:Al2O3)

Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
Defiles the verdant plain. Nor idle stand
The trusty slaves; with pointed spears, they pierce
Through their tough hides; or at their gaping mouths
An easier passage find. The king of brutes,
In broken roarings, breathes his last; the bear
Grumbles in death; nor can his spotted skin,
Though sleek it shine, with varied beauties gay,
Save the proud pard from unrelenting fate.
The battle bleeds; grim slaughter strides along,
Glutting her greedy jaws, grins o’er her prey.
Men, horses, dogs, fierce beasts of every kind,
A strange promiscuous carnage, drench’d in blood,
And heaps on heaps amass’d. What yet remain
Alive, with vain assault, contend to break
The impenetrable line: others, whom fear
Inspires with self-preserving wiles, beneath
The bodies of the slain for shelter creep;
Aghast they fly, or hide their heads, dispersed.
And now, perchance, had Heaven but pleased, the work
Of death had been complete; and Aurengzebe,
By one dread frown, extinguish’d half their race;
When lo! the bright sultanas of his court
Appear, and to his ravish’d eyes display
Those charms, but rarely to the day reveal’d.

BOOK II THE CHASE v. 512-523.

Lowly they bend, and humbly sue, to save
The vanquish’d host. What mortal can deny,
When suppliant beauty begs? At his command,
Opening to right and left, the well-train’d troops
Leave a large void for their retreating foes.
Away they fly, on wings of fear upborne,
To seek, on distant hills, their late abodes.
Ye proud oppressors, whose vain hearts exult
In wantonness of power, ’gainst the brute race,
Fierce robbers, like yourselves, a guiltless war
Wage uncontroll’d; here quench your thirst of blood:
But learn, from Aurengzebe, to spare mankind.
Book III
 Argument.
Of King Edgar, and his imposing a tribute of wolves’ heads upon the kings of
Wales: from hence a transition to fox-hunting, which is described in all its
parts. Censure of an over-numerous pack. Of the several engines to destroy
foxes, and other wild beasts. The steel-trap described, and the manner of
using it. Description of the pitfall for the lion; and another for the
elephant. The ancient way of hunting the tiger with a mirror. The Arabian
manner of hunting the wild boar. Description of the royal stag-chase at
Windsor Forest. Concludes with an address to his Majesty, and an eulogy
upon mercy.
In Albion’s isle, when glorious Edgar reign’d,
He, wisely provident, from her white cliffs
Launch’d half her forests, and, with numerous fleets,
Cover’d his wide domain: there proudly rode,
Lord of the deep, the great prerogative
Of British monarchs. Each invader bold,
Dane and Norwegian, at a distance gazed,
And, disappointed, gnash’d his teeth in vain.
He scour’d the seas, and to remotest shores,
With swelling sails, the trembling corsair fled.
Rich commerce flourish’d; and with busy oars
Dash’d the resounding surge. Nor less, at land,
His royal cares; wise, potent, gracious prince!

BOOK III THE CHASE v. 14-38.

His subjects from their cruel foes he saved,
And, from rapacious savages, their flocks.
Cambria’s proud kings, though with reluctance, paid
Their tributary wolves; head after head,
In full account, till the woods yield no more,
And all the ravenous race, extinct, is lost.
In fertile pastures, more securely grazed
The social troops; and soon their large increase,
With curling fleeces, whiten’d all the plains.
But yet, alas! the wily fox remain’d,
A subtle, pilfering foe, prowling around
In midnight shades, and wakeful to destroy.
In the full fold, the poor defenceless lamb,
Seized by his guileful arts, with sweet warm blood,
Supplies a rich repast. The mournful ewe,
Her dearest treasure lost, through the dun night
Wanders perplex’d, and, darkling, bleats in vain:
While, in the adjacent bush, poor Philomel,
Herself a parent once, till wanton churls
Despoil’d her nest, joins in her loud laments,
With sweeter notes, and more melodious woe.
For these nocturnal thieves, huntsman, prepare
Thy sharpest vengeance. Oh! how glorious ’tis
To right the oppress’d, and bring the felon vile
To just disgrace! Ere yet the morning peep,

BOOK III THE CHASE v. 39-61.

Or stars retire from the first blush of day,
With thy far-echoing voice alarm thy pack,
And rouse thy bold compeers. Then to the copse,
Thick with entangling grass, or prickly furze,
With silence lead thy many-colour’d hounds,
In all their beauty’s pride. See! how they range
Dispersed; how busily, this way and that,
They cross, examining, with curious nose,
Each likely haunt. Hark! on the drag I hear
Their doubtful notes, preluding to a cry
More nobly full, and swell’d with every mouth.
As straggling armies, at the trumpet’s voice,
Press to their standard; hither all repair,
And hurry through the woods with hasty step,
Rustling and full of hope; now, driven in heaps,
They push, they strive, while from his kennel sneaks
The conscious villain. See! he skulks along,
Sleek, at the shepherd’s cost, and plump, with meals
Purloin’d: so thrive the wicked here below.
Though high his brush he bear, though, tipp’d with white,
It gaily shine, yet ere the sun, declined,
Recall the shades of night, the pamper’d rogue
Shall rue his fate, reversed; and, at his heels,

BOOK III THE CHASE v. 62-84.

Behold the just avenger, swift to seize
His forfeit head, and thirsting for his blood.
Heavens! what melodious strains! how beat our hearts,
Big with tumultuous joy! the loaded gales
Breathe harmony; and, as the tempest drives,
From wood to wood, through every dark recess,
The forest thunders, and the mountains shake.
The chorus swells; less various, and less sweet,
The trilling notes, when, in those very groves,
The feather’d choristers salute the spring,
And every bush in concert joins: or, when
The master’s hand, in modulated air,
Bids the loud organ breathe, and all the powers
Of musick, in one instrument combine
An universal minstrelsy. And now
In vain each earth he tries; the doors are barr’d,
Impregnable; nor is the covert safe;
He pants for purer air. Hark! what loud shouts
Re-echo through the groves!—he breaks away!
Shrill horns proclaim his flight. Each straggling hound
Strains o’er the lawn, to reach the distant pack.
’Tis triumph all, and joy. Now, my brave youths,
Now give a loose to the clean generous steed;

BOOK III THE CHASE v. 85-108.

Flourish the whip, nor spare the galling spur:
But, in the madness of delight, forget
Your fears! Far o’er the rocky hills we range,
And dangerous our course; but, in the brave,
True courage never fails: in vain the stream
In foaming eddies whirls; in vain the ditch,
Wide-gaping, threatens death: the craggy steep,
Where the poor dizzy shepherd crawls with care,
And clings to every twig, gives us no pain;
But down we sweep, as stoops the falcon bold
To pounce his prey: then up the opponent hill,
By the swift motion slung, we mount aloft.
So ships, in winter seas, now sliding, sink
Adown the steepy wave, then, toss’d on high,
Ride on the billows, and defy the storm.
What lengths we pass! where will the wandering chase
Lead us, bewilder’d! smooth as swallows skim
The new-shorn mead, and far more swift, we fly.
See, my brave pack! how to the head they press,
Justling in close array; then, more diffuse,
Obliquely wheel, while, from their opening mouths,
The vollied thunder breaks. So, when the cranes
Their annual voyage steer, with wanton wing
Their figure oft they change, and their loud clang

BOOK III THE CHASE v. 109-132.

From cloud to cloud rebounds. How far behind
The hunter-crew, wide-straggling o’er the plain!
The panting courser now, with trembling nerves,
Begins to reel; urged by the goring spur,
Makes many a faint effort: he snorts, he foams;
The big round drops run trickling down his sides,
With sweat and blood distain’d. Look back, and view
The strange confusion of the vale below,
Where sour vexation reigns: see yon poor jade;
In vain the impatient rider frets and swears,
With galling spurs harrows his mangled sides;
He can no more; his stiff unpliant limbs,
Rooted in earth, unmoved and fix’d he stands,
For every cruel curse returns a groan,
And sobs, and faints, and dies! who, without grief,
Can view that pamper’d steed, his master’s joy,
His minion, and his daily care, well clothed,
Well fed with every nicer cate; no cost,
No labour, spared; who, when the flying chase
Broke from the copse, without a rival led
The numerous train; now, a sad spectacle
Of pride brought low, and humbled insolence,
Drove like a pannier’d ass, and scourged along!
While these, with loosen’d reins and dangling heels,

BOOK III THE CHASE v. 133-155.

Hang on their reeling palfreys, that scarce bear
Their weights; another, in the treacherous bog,
Lies floundering, half ingulf’d. What biting thoughts
Torment the abandon’d crew! Old age laments
His vigour spent: the tall, plump, brawny youth,
Curses his cumbrous bulk; and envies, now,
The short pygmean race, he whilom kenn’d,
With proud insulting leer. A chosen few,
Alone, the sport enjoy, nor droop beneath
Their pleasing toils. Here, huntsman! from this highth
Observe yon birds of prey; if I can judge,
’Tis there the villain lurks: they hover round,
And claim him as their own. Was I not right?
See! there he creeps along; his brush he drags,
And sweeps the mire impure: from his wide jaws
His tongue unmoisten’d hangs; symptoms too sure
Of sudden death. Ha! yet he flies, nor yields
To black despair: but one loose more, and all
His wiles are vain. Hark, through yon village now
The rattling clamour rings. The barns, the cots,
And leafless elms, return the joyous sounds.
Through every homestall, and through every yard,
His midnight walks, panting, forlorn, he flies;

BOOK III THE CHASE v. 156-180.

Through every hole he sneaks, through every jakes,
Plunging, he wades, besmear’d; and fondly hopes
In a superiour stench to lose his own:
But, faithful to the track, the unerring hounds,
With peals of echoing vengeance, close pursue.
And now, distress’d, no sheltering covert near,
Into the hen-roost creeps, whose walls, with gore
Distain’d, attest his guilt. There, villain! there
Expect thy fate deserved. And soon from thence
The pack, inquisitive, with clamour loud,
Drag out their trembling prize, and, on his blood,
With greedy transport feast. In bolder notes
Each sounding horn proclaims the felon dead;
And all the assembled village shouts for joy.
The farmer, who beholds his mortal foe
Stretch’d at his feet, applauds the glorious deed,
And, grateful, calls us to a short repast:
In the full glass the liquid amber smiles,
Our native product; and his good old mate,
With choicest viands, heaps the liberal board,
To crown our triumphs, and reward our toils.
Here must the instructive Muse, but with respect,
Censure that numerous pack, that crowd of state,
With which the vain profusion of the great
Covers the lawn, and shakes the trembling copse.

BOOK III THE CHASE v. 181-204.

Pompous incumbrance! a magnificence
Useless, vexatious! for the wily fox,
Safe in the increasing number of his foes,
Kens well the great advantage: slinks behind,
And slyly creeps through the same beaten track,
And hunts them step by step; then views, escaped,
With inward ecstasy, the panting throng
In their own footsteps puzzled, foil’d, and lost.
So, when proud Eastern kings summon to arms
Their gaudy legions, from far distant climes
They flock in crowds, unpeopling half a world;
But when the day of battle calls them forth,
To charge the well-train’d foe, a band compact
Of chosen veterans, they press blindly on,
In heaps confused, by their own weapons fall,
A smoking carnage scatter’d o’er the plain.
Nor hounds alone this noxious brood destroy:
The plunder’d warrener full many a wile
Devises, to entrap his greedy foe,
Fat with nocturnal spoils. At close of day,
He silent drags his trail; then from the ground
Pares thin the close-grazed turf; there, with nice hand,
Covers the latent death, with curious springs
Prepared to fly at once, whene’er the tread

BOOK III THE CHASE v. 205-229.

Of man or beast, unwarily shall press
The yielding surface: by the indented steel
With gripe tenacious held, the felon grins,
And struggles, but in vain: yet oft, ’tis known,
When every art has fail’d, the captive fox
Has shared the wounded joint, and, with a limb,
Compounded for his life. But if, perchance,
In the deep pitfall plunged, there’s no escape;
But unreprieved he dies, and, bleach’d in air,
The jest of clowns, his reeking carcase hangs.
Of these are various kinds; not even the king
Of brutes evades this deep devouring grave;
But, by the wily African betray’d,
Heedless of fate, within its gaping jaws
Expires, indignant. When the orient beam
With blushes paints the dawn, and all the race
Carnivorous, with blood full-gorged, retire
Into their darksome cells, there, satiate, snore
O’er dripping offals, and the mangled limbs
Of men and beasts, the painful forester
Climbs the high hills, whose proud aspiring tops,
With the tall cedar crown’d, and taper fir,
Assail the clouds; there, ’mong the craggy rocks,
And thickets intricate, trembling, he views
His footsteps in the sand, the dismal road

BOOK III THE CHASE v. 230-254.

And avenue to death. Hither he calls
His watchful bands, and, low into the ground,
A pit they sink, full many a fathom deep:
Then, in the midst, a column high is rear’d,
The butt of some fair tree; upon whose top
A lamb is placed, just ravish’d from his dam;
And next, a wall they build, with stones and earth
Encircling round, and hiding from all view
The dreadful precipice. Now, when the shades
Of night hang lowering o’er the mountains brow,
And hunger keen, and pungent thirst of blood,
Rouze up the slothful beast, he shakes his sides,
Slow-rising from his lair, and stretches wide
His ravenous paws, with recent gore distain’d;
The forests tremble as he roars aloud,
Impatient to destroy. O’erjoy’d, he hears
The bleating innocent, that claims, in vain,
The shepherd’s care, and seeks, with piteous moan,
The foodful teat; himself, alas! design’d
Another’s meal. For now the greedy brute
Winds him from far; and, leaping o’er the mound,
To seize his trembling prey, headlong is plunged
Into the deep abyss. Prostrate he lies,
Astunn’d, and impotent. Ah! what avail
Thine eye-balls flashing fire, thy length of tail

BOOK III THE CHASE v. 255-279.

That lashes thy broad sides, thy jaws besmear’d
With blood, and offals crude, thy shaggy mane,
The terrour of the woods, thy stately port,
And bulk enormous, since, by stratagem,
Thy strength is foil’d? Unequal is the strife,
When sovereign reason combats brutal rage.
On distant Ethiopia’s sun-burnt coasts,
The black inhabitants a pitfall frame,
But of a different kind, and different use:
With slender poles the wide capacious mouth,
And hurdles slight, they close; o’er these is spread
A floor of verdant turf, with all its flowers
Smiling delusive, and from strictest search
Concealing the deep grave that yawns below:
Then boughs of trees they cut, with tempting fruit,
Of various kinds, surcharged; the downy peach,
The clustering vine, and, of bright golden rind,
The fragrant orange. Soon as evening gray
Advances slow, besprinkling all around,
With kind refreshing dews, the thirsty glebe,
The stately elephant, from the close shade,
With step majestic, strides, eager to taste
The cooler breeze, that from the sea-beat shore
Delightful breathes, or, in the limpid stream,
To lave his panting sides; joyous he scents

BOOK III THE CHASE v. 280-304.

The rich repast, unweeting of the death
That lurks within. And soon he, sporting, breaks
The brittle boughs, and greedily devours
The fruit delicious: ah! too dearly bought;
The price is life: for now the treacherous turf,
Trembling, gives way; and the unwieldy beast,
Self-sinking, drops into the dark profound.
So when dilated vapours, struggling, heave
The incumbent earth, if, chance, the cavern’d ground,
Shrinking, subside, and the thin surface yield,
Down sinks, at once, the ponderous dome, ingulf’d,
With all its towers. Subtle, delusive man,
How various are thy wiles! artful to kill
Thy savage foes, a dull unthinking race.
Fierce, from his lair, springs forth the speckled pard,
Thirsting for blood, and eager to destroy;
The huntsman flies, but to his flight alone
Confides not: at convenient distance fix’d,
A polish’d mirror stops, in full career,
The furious brute: he there his image views;
Spots against spots, with rage improving, glow;
Another pard his bristly whiskers curls,
Grins as he grins, fierce-menacing, and wide
Distends his opening paws; himself against
Himself opposed, and with dread vengeance arm’d.

BOOK III THE CHASE v. 305-329.

The huntsman, now secure, with fatal aim
Directs the pointed spear, by which transfix’d,
He dies; and with him dies the rival shade.
Thus man innumerous engines forms, to assail
The savage kind; but most, the docile horse,
Swift, and confederate with man, annoys
His brethren of the plains; without whose aid
The hunter’s arts were vain, unskill’d to wage,
With the more active brutes, an equal war;
But borne by him, without the well-train’d pack,
Man dares his foe, on wings of wind secure.
Him the fierce Arab mounts, and, with his troop
Of bold compeers, ranges the desert wild,
Where, by the magnet’s aid, the traveller
Steers his untrodden course; yet oft, on land,
Is wreck’d, in the high-rolling waves of sand
Immersed, and lost; while these intrepid bands,
Safe in their horses’ speed, out-fly the storm,
And scouring round, make men and beasts their prey.
The grisly boar is singled from his herd,
As large as that in Erimanthian woods,
A match for Hercules: round him they fly,
In circles wide; and each, in passing, sends
His feather’d death into his brawny sides.
But perilous the attempt; for, if the steed
 BOOK III THE CHASE v. 330-354.

Haply too near approach, or the loose earth

His footing fail, the watchful angry beast
The advantage spies, and, at one sidelong glance,
Rips up his groin. Wounded, he rears aloft,
And, plunging, from his back the rider hurls
Precipitant; then, bleeding, spurns the ground,
And drags his reeking entrails o’er the plain.
Meanwhile the surly monster trots along,
But with unequal speed; for still they wound,
Swift wheeling in the spacious ring: a wood
Of darts upon his back he bears; adown
His tortured sides the crimson torrents roll,
From many a gaping font; and now at last,
Staggering, he falls, in blood and foam expires.
But whither roves my devious Muse, intent
On antique tales, while yet the royal stag
Unsung remains? Tread, with respectful awe,
Windsor’s green glades, where Denham, tuneful bard,
Charm’d once the listening Dryads with his song,
Sublimely sweet. O grant me, sacred shade,
To glean, submiss, what thy full sickle leaves!
The morning sun, that gilds, with trembling rays,
Windsor’s high towers, beholds the courtly train
Mount for the chase; nor views in all his course
A scene so gay: heroick, noble youths,

BOOK III THE CHASE v. 355-379.

In arts and arms renown’d, and lovely nymphs,
The fairest of this isle, where beauty dwells,
Delighted, and deserts her Paphian grove,
For our more favour’d shades; in proud parade
These shine magnificent, and press around
The royal happy pair. Great in themselves,
They smile superiour; of external show
Regardless, while their inbred virtues give
A lustre to their power, and grace their court
With real splendours, far above the pomp
Of Eastern kings, in all their tinsel pride.
Like troops of Amazons, the female band
Prance round their cars; not in refulgent arms,
As those of old; unskill’d to wield the sword,
Or bend the bow, these kill with surer aim.
The royal offspring, fairest of the fair,
Lead on the splendid train. Anna, more bright
Than summer suns, or as the lightning keen,
With irresistible effulgence arm’d,
Fires every heart: he must be more than man
Who, unconcern’d, can bear the piercing ray.
Amelia, milder than the blushing dawn,
With sweet engaging air, but equal power,
Insensibly subdues, and in soft chains
Her willing captives leads. Illustrious maids!

BOOK III THE CHASE v. 380-404.