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Concept
Tunable laser
Summary
A tunable laser is a laser whose wavelength of operation can be altered in a controlled manner. While all laser gain media allow small shifts in output wavelength, only a few types of lasers allow continuous tuning over a significant wavelength range.
There are many types and categories of tunable lasers. They exist in the gas, liquid, and solid state. Among the types of tunable lasers are excimer lasers, gas lasers (such as CO2 and He-Ne lasers), dye lasers (liquid and solid state), transition metal solid-state lasers, semiconductor crystal and diode lasers, and free electron lasers.
Tunable lasers find applications in spectroscopy, photochemistry, atomic vapor laser isotope separation, and optical communications.
Since no real laser is truly monochromatic, all lasers can emit light over some range of frequencies, known as the linewidth of the laser transition. In most lasers, this linewidth is quite narrow (for example, the nm wavelength transition of a Nd:YAG laser has a linewidth of approximately 120 GHz, or 0.45 nm). Tuning of the laser output across this range can be achieved by placing wavelength-selective optical elements (such as an etalon) into the laser's optical cavity, to provide selection of a particular longitudinal mode of the cavity.
Most laser gain media have a number of transition wavelengths on which laser operation can be achieved. For example, as well as the principal nm output line, Nd:YAG has weaker transitions at wavelengths of nm, nm, nm, nm, and a number of other lines. Usually, these lines do not operate unless the gain of the strongest transition is suppressed; e.g., by use of wavelength-selective dielectric mirrors. If a dispersive element, such as a prism, is introduced into the optical cavity, tilting of the cavity's mirrors can cause tuning of the laser as it "hops" between different laser lines. Such schemes are common in argon-ion lasers, allowing tuning of the laser to a number of lines from the ultraviolet and blue through to green wavelengths.
Official source
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