Using tunable lasers

JUL 01, 1972

These variable‐frequency sources, which are based on dye or semiconductor lasers, or on devices with nonlinear interactions, are moving from the experimental to the applications stage.

DOI: 10.1063/1.3070929

Howard R. Schlossberg

Paul L. Kelley

Lasers whose output can be varied over a wide range of frequencies offer the opportunity for a new kind of spectroscopy. These tunable sources are welcome in industry, in environmental monitoring and in medicine as well as in basic research. In absorption spectroscopy, for example, tunable coherent sources are bringing about developments, both evolutionary and revolutionary in character, that recall the way powerful fixed‐frequency lasers revitalized the rather moribund field of Raman spectroscopy a few years ago. And an interesting analogy exists between the klystron and microwave spectroscopy on the one hand and tunable lasers and optical spectroscopy on the other.

This article is only available in PDF format

References

1. D. J. Bradley, Proceedings of the Electro‐optical Systems Conference, Brighton, UK, 1971
2. B. B. Snavely, Proc. IEEE 57, 1374 (1969); https://doi.org/IEEPAD
M. Bass, T. F. Deutch, M. J. Weber, “Dye Lasers,” in Lasers, vol. 3 (A. K. Levine, A. J. De Maria, eds.), Marcel Dekker, N.Y., 1971, page 269.
3. T. W. Hänsch, I. S. Shahin, A. L. Schawlow, Phys. Rev. Lett. 27, 707 (1971).https://doi.org/PRLTAO
4. M. Hercher, H. A. Pike, Opt. Commun. 3, 346 (1971); https://doi.org/OPCOB8
O. G. Peterson, S. A. Tuccio, B. B. Snavely, Appl. Phys. Lett. 27, 245 (1970).https://doi.org/APPLAB
5. M. I. Nathan, Proc. IEEE 54, 1276 (1966); https://doi.org/IEEPAD
H. Kressel, “Semiconductor Lasers” in Lasers vol. 3, (A. K. Levine, A. J. De Maria, eds.), Marcel Dekker, N.Y., 1971, page 1.
6. T. C. Harman, J. Phys. Chem. Solid (Supp) 32, 363 (1971).
7. E. D. Hinkley, T. C. Harman, C. Freed, Appl. Phys. Lett. 13, 49 (1968).https://doi.org/APPLAB
8. E. D. Hinkley, C. Freed, Phys. Rev. Lett. 23, 277 (1969).https://doi.org/PRLTAO
9. C. K. N. Patel, E. D. Shaw, Phys. Rev. B3, 1279 (1971).https://doi.org/PLRBAQ
10. A. Mooradian, S. R. J. Brueck, F. A. Blum, Appl. Phys. Lett. 17, 481 (1971).https://doi.org/APPLAB
11. C. K. N. Patel, Phys. Rev. Lett. 28, 649 (1972).https://doi.org/PRLTAO
12. C. F. DeweyJr, L. O. Hocker, Appl. Phys. Lett. 18, 58 (1971).https://doi.org/APPLAB
13. E. S. Yeung, C. B. Moore, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 93, 2059 (1971).https://doi.org/JACSAT
14. D. J. Bradley, J. V. Nicholas, J. R. D. Shaw, Appl. Phys. Lett. 19, 172 (1971).https://doi.org/APPLAB
15. S. E. Harris, Proc. IEEE 57, 2096 (1969); https://doi.org/IEEPAD
R. G. Smith, “Optical Parametric Oscillators,” in Laser Handbook, (F. T. Arrechi, E. O. Schultz‐DuBois, eds.), North‐Holland, Amsterdam (to be published).
16. E. O. Ammann, J. M. Yarborough, M. K. Oshman, P. C. Montgomery, Appl. Phys. Lett. 16, 309 (1970).https://doi.org/APPLAB
17. R. L. Herbst, R. L. Byer, Appl. Phys. Lett. 19, 527 (1971); https://doi.org/APPLAB
R. L. Byer, Digest of Technical Papers, 7th International Quantum Electronics Conference, Montreal, 8–11 May 1972.
18. J. Pinnard, J. F. Young, Optics Commun. 4, 425 (1972).https://doi.org/OPCOB8
19. S. E. Harris, R. B. Miles, Appl. Phys. Lett. 19, 385 (1971); https://doi.org/APPLAB
J. F. Young, G. C. Bjorklund, A. H. Kung, R. B. Miles, S. E. Harris, Phys. Rev. Lett. 27, 1551 (1971).https://doi.org/PRLTAO
20. V. J. Corcoran, R. E. Cupp, J. J. Gallagher, W. T. Smith, Appl. Phys. Lett. 6, 316 (1970).https://doi.org/APPLAB
21. E. D. Hinkley, P. L. Kelley, Science 171, 635 (1971).https://doi.org/SCIEAS
22. L. B. Kreuzer, C. K. N. Patel, Science 173, 45 (1971).https://doi.org/SCIEAS
23. H. Kildal, R. L. Byer, Proc. IEEE 59, 1644 (1971).https://doi.org/IEEPAD
24. M. R. Bowman, A. J. Gibson, M. C. W. Sandford, Nature 21, 456 (1969).https://doi.org/NATUAS
25. N. G. Basov, E. P. Markin, A. N. Oraevskii, A. V. Pankratov, A. N. Akachkov, JETP Lett. 14, 165 (1971) https://doi.org/JTPLA2
[N. G. Basov, E. P. Markin, A. N. Oraevskii, A. V. Pankratov, A. N. Akachkov, ZhETF Pis. Red. 14, 251 (1971)].
26. B. V. Ambartzumian, V. S. Letokhov, Appl. Opt. 11, 354 (1972).https://doi.org/APOPAI
27. S. W. Mayer, M. A. Kwok, R. W. F. Gross, D. J. Spencer, Appl. Phys. Lett. 17, 516 (1970).https://doi.org/APPLAB
28. G. Singh, P. DiLavore, C. O. Alley, IEEE J. Quant. Elect. 7, 196 (1971).https://doi.org/IEJQA7

More about the authors

Howard R. Schlossberg, Optical Physics Laboratory, Air Force Cambridge Research Laboratory.

Paul L. Kelley, Lincoln Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.