The RP Photonics Encyclopedia

absorption cross-sections → transition cross-sections
absorption efficiency → pump absorption
absorption saturation → pump absorption
active fibers
active laser media → laser gain media
active mirror → thin-disk lasers
active mode locking
Case study: actively mode-locked laser
active stabilization of lasers → stabilization of lasers
alexandrite lasers
alignment lasers
alignment sensitivity of optical resonators
alkali vapor lasers → metal vapor lasers
all-solid-state lasers
allowed transitions → forbidden transitions
alpha factor → linewidth enhancement factor
amplification bandwidth → gain bandwidth
amplified spontaneous emission
Tutorial chapter on ASE in fiber amplifiers
Case study: ASE in ytterbium-doped fibers
Spotlight 2015-03-11: Strange time dependence of ASE from a fiber amplifier
Spotlight 2013-07-08: Amplified spontaneous emission in fiber amplifiers
Spotlight 2007-08-06: Fiber amplifiers: more ASE for larger core with higher NA?
Spotlight 2007-07-30: Fiber amplifiers: stronger ASE in backward direction
amplifier transitions → laser transitions
amplitude noise → intensity noise
applications of lasers → laser applications
arc lamp pumping → lamp-pumped lasers
argon fluoride lasers → excimer lasers
argon ion lasers
athermal lasers → radiation-balanced lasers
beam collimators
beam combining
beam delivery systems
beam pointing fluctuations
beam pointing stability → beam pointing fluctuations
blue lasers
brightness converters
broad-area laser diodes
bulk lasers
bulk lasers versus fiber lasers → fiber lasers versus bulk lasers
burst mode lasers
carbon dioxide lasers → CO2 lasers
cascade lasing → cooperative lasing
cavity dumping
ceramic laser gain media
characterization of laser beams → laser beam characterization
chemical lasers → gas lasers
chillers → laser cooling units
chillers for lasers → laser cooling units
chromium-doped laser gain media
class-A and class-B regime of a laser → relaxation oscillations
CO2 lasers
coherent beam combining
composite laser crystals
concentration of dopant → doping concentration
continuous-wave operation
cooling units for lasers → laser cooling units
cooperative lasing
copper vapor lasers → metal vapor lasers
core-less end caps
cross lasers → alignment lasers
cross-sections → transition cross-sections
cryogenic lasers
damage threshold → laser-induced damage
depolarization loss
diffusion bonding → composite laser crystals
diode arrays → diode bars
diode bars
Spotlight 2010-04-16: Why large mode area waveguides do not work for laser diodes
diode drivers → laser diode drivers
diode lasers
diode modules → laser diode modules
diode stacks
diode-pumped lasers
Spotlight 2007-06-01: Characterize your pump beam!
direct diode lasers
disk lasers → thin-disk lasers
dispersion management
distributed Bragg reflector lasers
distributed feedback lasers
doped insulator lasers
doping concentration
Spotlight 2006-07-01: Lifting the confusion concerning doping concentrations
dual-line lasers → multi-line lasers
duty cycle → quasi-continuous-wave operation
dye lasers
edge-emitting semiconductor lasers
effective cross-sections → effective transition cross-sections
effective transition cross-sections
efficiency of a laser → wall-plug efficiency
electrical-to-optical efficiency → wall-plug efficiency
emission cross-sections → transition cross-sections
emission linewidth → linewidth
end pumping
Spotlight 2007-04-01: The ideal pump intensity distribution in an end-pumped solid-state laser
entropy balance of lasers → radiation-balanced lasers
erbium-doped laser gain media
erbium-ytterbium-doped laser gain media
excimer lasers
excited-state absorption
external-cavity diode lasers
extinction ratio → polarization of light
eye protection → laser safety glasses
eye-safe lasers
Fabry–Perot laser diodes
fast axis → diode bars
femtosecond fiber lasers → mode-locked fiber lasers
femtosecond lasers
Solid state lasers for ultrashort pulses – a diverse family
fiber end caps → core-less end caps
fiber lasers
Tutorial: Modeling of fiber amplifiers and lasers
Spotlight 2011-02-10: Fiber lasers: more difficult to design than bulk lasers
Spotlight 2008-06-06: Fiber lasers which are no fiber lasers
Ytterbium fiber lasers emitting at 975~~nm
fiber lasers versus bulk lasers
fiber-coupled diode lasers
figure-eight lasers → mode-locked fiber lasers
figure-of-eight laser → mode-locked fiber lasers
flash lamp pumping → lamp-pumped lasers
fluorine lasers → excimer lasers
FM mode locking → mode locking
focus
forbidden transitions
Spotlight 2011-03-13: What if solid-state laser transitions would be much stronger?
forsterite crystals → chromium-doped laser gain media
four-level and three-level laser gain media
Case study: Ytterbium-doped 975-nm fiber lasers
Frantz–Nodvick equation → gain saturation
free electron lasers
frequency-stabilized lasers
gain
Tutorial chapter on gain and absorption in rare-earth-doped fibers
gain bandwidth
Spotlight 2007-10-25: The gain bandwidth of laser crystals and glasses
gain clamping
gain compression → gain saturation
gain efficiency
gain media → laser gain media
gain modules → laser heads
gain narrowing
gain saturation
Case study: Erbium-doped fiber amplifier for rectangular nanosecond pulses
Spotlight 2018-05-11: Gain saturation in solid-state lasers
Spotlight 2017-08-01: Fiber amplifiers: modeling of ultrashort pulse amplification with saturation of wavelength-dependent gain
Spotlight 2015-08-08: Gain saturation with pulses
gain switching
gas lasers
glass lasers and amplifiers
goggles → laser safety glasses
green lasers
Spotlight 2009-08-14: Progress on green laser diodes
green problem → intracavity frequency doubling
ground state laser transitions → four-level and three-level laser gain media
heat capacity lasers → quasi-continuous-wave operation
helium–cadmium lasers → metal vapor lasers
helium–neon lasers
Henry factor → linewidth enhancement factor
high brightness laser diodes
high-energy lasers
high-power fiber lasers and amplifiers
Spotlight 2018-03-05: Dependence on Raman conversion on the optical bandwidth
Spotlight 2011-05-28: Explanation for the mode instability in high-power fiber amplifiers with few-mode fibers
high-power lasers
Spotlight 2011-12-23: mode-locked thin-disk laser
Spotlight 2007-01-15: Origins of heating in laser crystals
Spotlight 2006-10-22: Lasers attract dust to cavity mirrors
hybrid laser crystals → composite laser crystals
hybrid mode locking → mode locking
in-band pumping
in-plane lasers → edge-emitting semiconductor lasers
induced focusing → thermal lensing
industrial lasers
injection locking
injection seeding
intensity noise
Spotlight 2018-06-08: Understanding intensity noise
intensity-to-phase coupling → linewidth enhancement factor
interlocks
intersubband transitions → quantum cascade lasers
intracavity frequency doubling
intracavity laser absorption spectroscopy
intracavity pumping
ion lasers
krypton fluoride lasers → excimer lasers
krypton ion lasers → argon ion lasers
lamp-pumped lasers
laser applications
Spotlight 2009-04-17: Miniature laser projectors – The next big laser thing?
laser beam characterization
Spotlight 2007-06-01: Characterize your pump beam!
laser beam combining → beam combining
laser beam delivery systems → beam delivery systems
laser beam machining → laser material processing
laser beams
Spotlight 2015-02-05: Attenuating laser beams – not that easy
Spotlight 2010-04-08: Creating a top-hat laser beam focus
Spotlight 2009-11-22: The beam focus – not just a demagnified version of your beam
Spotlight 2007-07-11: What is a beam width, beam size, and a beam waist?
laser cavities → laser resonators
laser cooling units
laser cross-sections → transition cross-sections
laser crystals
laser design
Spotlight 2011-02-10: Fiber lasers: more difficult to design than bulk lasers
Spotlight 2007-04-01: The ideal pump intensity distribution in an end-pumped solid-state laser
Spotlight 2006-07-05: Laser design: side product or the basis of laser development?
laser development
Spotlight 2017-01-27: Second opinion: a useful tool, also in laser technology!
Spotlight 2006-07-05: Laser design: side product or the basis of laser development?
laser diode bars → diode bars
laser diode collimators
laser diode drivers
laser diode modules
laser diode stacks → diode stacks
laser diode testing
laser diodes
Spotlight 2009-08-14: Progress on green laser diodes
laser disks → thin-disk lasers
laser dyes → dye lasers
laser dynamics
laser eye protection → laser safety glasses
laser gain → gain
laser gain media
laser glasses
laser goggles → laser safety glasses
laser hazards → laser safety
laser heads
laser light
laser line mirrors → laser mirrors
laser lines
laser linewidth → linewidth
laser material processing
Spotlight 2022-08-04: Encyclopedia articles on laser material processing
laser media → laser gain media
laser mirrors
Spotlight 2006-11-02: Reflection spectrum of tilted dielectric mirror
Spotlight 2006-10-26: Residual transmission through highly reflecting mirrors
laser modeling and simulation
Tutorial: Modeling of fiber amplifiers and lasers
Education with simulations for active engagement of students: example with pump absorption in an Yb-doped fiber
Spotlight 2017-12-04: Energy levels of solid-state gain media
Spotlight 2013-09-24: Simulation of a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser: numerical beam propagation reveals what happens, analytical reasoning explains it
Spotlight 2012-02-03: Simulation software: use commercial products or home-made software?
Spotlight 2006-11-16: Laser models – not always useful
Transverse dependencies in fiber amplifier and laser modeling
The transparent laser
What makes a good physics model
laser modules → laser heads
laser noise
Noise in laser technology
Spotlight 2006-10-09: Correct specifications for laser noise – valuable but hard to obtain
Spotlight 2006-08-20: Lower noise from longer lasers
Spotlight 2006-08-01: Lasers disturbed by vacuum?
laser optics
laser oscillators → lasers
laser physics
Education with simulations for active engagement of students: example with pump absorption in an Yb-doped fiber
Spotlight 2020-03-16: Laser physics helps to understand the corona virus crisis
laser pointers
Spotlight 2010-01-11: Beams of laser pointers: visible in air?
Spotlight 2009-04-06: Laser pointers in soccer games: not necessarily harmless
Spotlight 2006-12-16: Dangerous green laser pointers
laser pump chambers → pump chambers
laser radiation → laser light
laser resonators
Spotlight 2015-05-14: Alignment sensitivity of laser resonators – an important design criterion
Spotlight 2009-09-19: Are laser resonators power scalable?
Spotlight 2009-04-05: Stability of resonators – an ambiguous term
Spotlight 2006-10-01: Stability zones of laser resonators
laser rods
laser safety
Spotlight 2007-12-18: The role of laser safety goggles
Spotlight 2007-07-06: Promoting dangerous practices in laser labs
Spotlight 2007-07-01: Nonsensical regulations undermine laser safety
Spotlight 2006-12-16: Dangerous green laser pointers
laser safety glasses
laser specifications
Spotlight 2013-12-13: Avoiding trouble with laser specifications
laser threshold
Spotlight 2020-03-16: Laser physics helps to understand the corona virus crisis
Spotlight 2007-05-10: Fundamental limitation for sigma–tau product, gain efficiency, and laser threshold
Spotlight 2007-01-21: Laser operation far above threshold
laser transitions
Spotlight 2011-03-13: What if solid-state laser transitions would be much stronger?
laser-active glasses → laser glasses
laser-aided manufacturing → laser material processing
laser-induced damage
lasers
Can AI bots like Chat-GPT or Bard answer photonics questions?
Spotlight 2015-11-28: How to store light – and to understand the laser principle
Spotlight 2008-05-25: Einstein and the laser
Spotlight 2007-08-27: Distant healing of lasers
Spotlight 2007-02-22: Lossy laser cavities
Spotlight 2006-08-23: Lasers with nonlinear input–output characteristics
At which wavelength will a laser emit?
lasers for material processing
lasers for quantum photonics
lasers for Raman spectroscopy
lasing without inversion
level manifolds → Stark level manifolds
lifetime broadening → gain bandwidth
line lasers → alignment lasers
linear polarization → polarization of light
linewidth
Derivation of the Schawlow–Townes linewidth
Spotlight 2015-10-17: The linewidth of single-frequency lasers
Spotlight 2008-07-26: Beat signals with zero linewidth
Spotlight 2007-06-24: The plague of a narrow emission linewidth
linewidth enhancement factor
longitudinal pumping → end pumping
lower-state lifetime
master laser
master oscillator fiber amplifier
Spotlight 2010-03-22: All-in-one concepts versus modular concepts
Spotlight 2008-12-16: Why fiber amplifiers, not fiber lasers?
master oscillator power amplifier
Spotlight 2010-03-22: All-in-one concepts versus modular concepts
medical lasers
metal vapor lasers
microchip lasers
Spotlight 2018-09-28: Resonator modes in microchip lasers
mid-infrared laser sources
miniature lasers
misalignment → alignment sensitivity of optical resonators
mode competition
Spotlight 2007-07-16: Mode competition – increased or decreased by spatial hole burning?
mode hopping
mode lockers → mode locking devices
mode locking
Spotlight 2017-08-31: Passive mode locking with slow saturable absorbers: surprisingly stable!
Spotlight 2017-04-12: Does a saturable absorber in a laser lead to passive Q switching or mode locking?
Self starting of passively mode-locked lasers: difficult to model
mode locking devices
mode-locked diode lasers
mode-locked fiber lasers
Spotlight 2010-03-22: All-in-one concepts versus modular concepts
Spotlight 2009-08-22: Jitter and phase noise of mode-docked fiber lasers
Spotlight 2009-01-05: Extremely long mode-locked fiber laser
Spotlight 2008-03-17: Ultrafast fiber lasers: re-inventing mode Locking
Case study: mode-locked fiber laser
Case study: mode-locked fiber laser
mode-locked lasers
Spotlight 2011-12-23: mode-locked thin-disk laser
Spotlight 2008-03-26: Mode-locked lasers: lower average powers in shorter pulses
modeling → laser modeling and simulation
modes of laser operation
molecular lasers
monochromaticity → linewidth
monofrequency lasers → single-frequency lasers
monolithic solid-state lasers
multi-line lasers
multi-wavelength lasers → multi-line lasers
nanosecond lasers
narrow-linewidth lasers
Nd:YAG → YAG lasers
Nd:YLF → YLF lasers
Nd:YVO₄ → vanadate lasers
neodymium-doped laser gain media
nitrogen lasers → gas lasers
noise → laser noise
noise reduction → stabilization of lasers
nonlinear mirror mode locking → mode locking
nonplanar ring oscillators
number density of dopant → doping concentration
OEM laser modules
one-atom lasers → single-atom lasers
operation modes of lasers → modes of laser operation
optical damage → laser-induced damage
optical damage threshold → laser-induced damage
optical gain → gain
optical pumping
optically pumped semiconductor lasers → vertical external-cavity surface-emitting lasers
optics for lasers → laser optics
orange lasers → yellow and orange lasers
oscillators
output couplers
output coupling efficiency
parasitic lasing
passive mode locking
Spotlight 2018-01-08: Self-starting of passively mode-locked lasers
Spotlight 2017-08-31: Passive mode locking with slow saturable absorbers: surprisingly stable!
Spotlight 2017-04-12: Does a saturable absorber in a laser lead to passive Q switching or mode locking?
Spotlight 2008-07-02: Stronger focusing avoids SESAM damage
Spotlight 2008-05-13: Easier self-starting passive mode locking for short lasers
Self starting of passively mode-locked lasers: difficult to model
Case study: passively mode-locked picosecond bulk laser
percentage of doping → doping concentration
phase synchronization of lasers → synchronization of lasers
phonon-terminated lasers → vibronic lasers
photonic crystal surface-emitting lasers
picosecond diode lasers
picosecond lasers
pigtailed diode lasers → fiber-coupled diode lasers
pointing stability → beam pointing fluctuations
polarization extinction ratio → polarization of light
polarization of light
Spotlight 2019-08-26: Can monochromatic light be unpolarized?
Spotlight 2012-03-03: Conflicting definitions of s and p polarization
power amplifiers → master oscillator power amplifier
power efficiency → wall-plug efficiency
power scaling of lasers
Spotlight 2007-12-03: New paper on power scaling of lasers
Spotlight 2007-09-07: Power scaling in downward direction
pump absorption
Spotlight 2016-05-12: Measurement of absorption spectra of active fibers: not as easy as one might think!
Spotlight 2007-08-22: Saturation of pump absorption – an important issue?
Spotlight 2006-11-04: Nd:YVO₄ laser with polarization-independent pump absorption
Pump absorption in amplifier fibers
Case study: pump absorption in a double-clad fiber
pump chambers
pump depletion
pump parameter
pump threshold → threshold pump power
Q-switched lasers
Spotlight 2015-09-24: Q-switched lasers: Nd:YVO₄ better suited than Nd:YAG for high pulse repetition rates
Spotlight 2006-09-16: Q-switched lasers: YAG versus vanadate
quantum cascade lasers
quasi-continuous-wave operation
quasi-three-level laser gain media
radiance scaling of lasers → power scaling of lasers
radiation-balanced lasers
Raman fiber lasers → Raman lasers
Raman lasers
Spotlight 2012-03-12: New Raman lasers
rational harmonic mode locking → active mode locking
reabsorption in laser gain media → four-level and three-level laser gain media
red lasers
red–green–blue sources → RGB sources
regenerative mode locking → active mode locking
relative intensity noise
Spotlight 2018-06-08: Understanding intensity noise
relaxation oscillations
RGB sources
ring lasers
rod lasers
ruby lasers
safety → laser safety
safety glasses → laser safety glasses
sampled grating lasers → distributed Bragg reflector lasers
saturation of absorption → pump absorption
saturation of gain → gain saturation
scalability → power scaling of lasers
scaling procedures → power scaling of lasers
Schawlow–Townes linewidth
scientific lasers
seed lasers
self-injection locking → injection locking
self-starting mode locking
Spotlight 2018-01-08: Self-starting of passively mode-locked lasers
Spotlight 2008-05-13: Easier self-starting passive mode locking for short lasers
Self starting of passively mode-locked lasers: difficult to model
self-terminating laser transitions
semiconductor diode lasers → diode lasers
semiconductor disk lasers → vertical external-cavity surface-emitting lasers
semiconductor fiber lasers → fiber lasers
semiconductor lasers
sensitivity to alignment → alignment sensitivity of optical resonators
SESAM mode-locked lasers → mode-locked lasers
side pumping
simulation → laser modeling and simulation
single transverse mode operation → single-mode operation
single-atom lasers
Spotlight 2006-07-23: Single-atom lasers
single-frequency lasers
Spotlight 2015-10-17: The linewidth of single-frequency lasers
Spotlight 2006-09-03: Single-frequency operation stabilized by spatial hole burning
single-frequency operation
single-mode operation
single-wavelength lasers → single-frequency lasers
slab lasers
slave laser
slope efficiency
Spotlight 2016-12-13: Nonlinear input–output curves for lasers
slow axis → diode bars
solid-state lasers
Solid state lasers for ultrashort pulses – a diverse family
Spotlight 2018-04-06: Laser physics: the essential roles of phonons in solid-state lasers
Spotlight 2017-12-04: Energy levels of solid-state gain media
soliton mode locking
Case study: soliton mode-locked bulk laser
space-qualified lasers
spatial hole burning
Spotlight 2007-07-16: Mode competition – increased or decreased by spatial hole burning?
Spotlight 2006-09-03: Single-frequency operation stabilized by spatial hole burning
specifications for lasers → laser specifications
spectral beam combining
spectral linewidth → linewidth
spiking
spontaneous emission factor → Schawlow–Townes linewidth
spot lasers → alignment lasers
stabilization of lasers
stack lasers → diode stacks
Stark level manifolds
stimulated emission
stimulated emission cross-sections → transition cross-sections
stretched-pulse fiber lasers → mode-locked fiber lasers
surface-emitting semiconductor lasers
surgical lasers → medical lasers
swept-wavelength lasers → wavelength-swept lasers
synchronization of lasers
tandem pumping → optical pumping
tapered laser diodes
testing of laser diodes → laser diode testing
thermal depolarization → depolarization loss
thermal lensing
Spotlight 2018-07-16: Thoughts on thermal lensing
Spotlight 2007-07-25: Higher heat generation density, stronger thermal effects?
Spotlight 2007-01-15: Origins of heating in laser crystals
Spotlight 2006-07-10: Strength of thermal lensing effects
How to treat thermal lensing in simulations
thin-disk lasers
Spotlight 2011-12-23: mode-locked thin-disk laser
three-level laser gain media → four-level and three-level laser gain media
threshold pump power
thresholdless lasers
thulium-doped fibers → thulium-doped laser gain media
thulium-doped laser gain media
timing synchronization → synchronization of lasers
titanium–sapphire lasers
transition cross-sections
transition-metal-doped laser gain media
transitions → laser transitions
transparency intensity → four-level and three-level laser gain media
tunable lasers
tungstate lasers
twisted-mode technique
ultrafast diode lasers → mode-locked diode lasers
ultrafast fiber lasers → mode-locked fiber lasers
ultrafast laser physics
ultrafast lasers
Solid state lasers for ultrashort pulses – a diverse family
Spotlight 2010-03-22: All-in-one concepts versus modular concepts
ultrashort pulse generation → ultrafast lasers
ultraviolet lasers
Spotlight 2016-10-27: Challenges for nonlinear frequency conversion in extreme wavelength regions
unidirectional ring lasers → ring lasers
upconversion lasers
Case study: thulium-doped blue upconversion laser
uses of lasers → laser applications
vanadate lasers
Spotlight 2015-09-24: Q-switched lasers: Nd:YVO₄ better suited than Nd:YAG for high pulse repetition rates
Spotlight 2006-11-04: Nd:YVO₄ laser with polarization-independent pump absorption
Spotlight 2006-09-16: Q-switched lasers: YAG versus vanadate
vapor lasers → gas lasers
VCSEL arrays
vertical cavity surface-emitting lasers
vertical external-cavity surface-emitting lasers
vibronic lasers
violet lasers → blue lasers
visible lasers
wall-plug efficiency
waveguide lasers
wavelength beam combining → spectral beam combining
wavelength tuning
Spotlight 2009-12-08: Increased output power of a laser with forced tuning
Spotlight 2008-10-03: Wavelength-tunable lasers: does the tuner degrade the power efficiency?
wavelength-stabilized lasers → frequency-stabilized lasers
wavelength-swept lasers
wavelength-tunable lasers → tunable lasers
weakly allowed transitions → forbidden transitions
X-ray lasers
xenon bromide lasers → excimer lasers
YAG lasers
Spotlight 2015-09-24: Q-switched lasers: Nd:YVO₄ better suited than Nd:YAG for high pulse repetition rates
Spotlight 2006-09-16: Q-switched lasers: YAG versus vanadate
Yb:YAG, Yb:KGW, Yb:KYW, Yb:glass, … → ytterbium-doped laser gain media
yellow and orange lasers
YLF lasers
ytterbium-doped laser gain media