PH4034
Principles of Lasers
2023-2024
15
7
SCQF level 10
2
Academic year(s): 2023-2024
SCOTCAT credits : 15
ECTS credits : 7
Level : SCQF level 10
Semester: 2
Availability restrictions: Not automatically available to General Degree students
This module presents a basic description of the main physical concepts upon which an understanding of laser materials, operations and applications can be based. The syllabus includes: basic concepts of energy-level manifolds in gain media, particularly in respect of population inversion and saturation effects; conditions for oscillator stability in laser resonator configurations and transverse and longitudinal cavity mode descriptions; single longitudinal mode operation for spectral purity and phase locking of longitudinal modes for the generation of periodic sequences of intense ultrashort pulses (i.e. laser modelocking); illustrations of line-narrowed and modelocked lasers and the origin and exploitability of intensity-induced nonlinear optical effects.
Pre-requisite(s): Before taking this module you must pass PH3081 or pass PH3082 or ( pass MT2506 and pass MT2507 )
Anti-requisite(s): You cannot take this module if you take PH5005
Weekly contact: 3 lectures or tutorials.
Scheduled learning hours: 33
Guided independent study hours: 117
As used by St Andrews: 2-hour Written Examination = 90%, Coursework = 10%
As defined by QAA
Written examinations : 90%
Practical examinations : 0%
Coursework: 10%
Re-assessment: Oral Re-assessment, capped at grade 7
Module coordinator: Dr F E W Koenig
To be confirmed