Solid-State Laser Engineering / Edition 6

by Walter Koechner

Overview

This book, written from an industrial vantage point, describes the characteristics, design, and operation of solid-state lasers. As the title implies, the emphasis is placed on the technical aspects of these systems rather than on theoretical concepts. Lengthy mathematicalderivationshavebeenavoidedbecausethetheoryisnottreatedasanend initself,butratherservestoexplaintheexperimentalresultsobservedinthelaboratory. However, there is sufficient theoretical background provided in each chapter to make the book self-contained. Solid-State Laser Engineering is mainly intended for the practicing scientist or engineer who is interested in the design or use of solid-state lasers. The response from readers has shown that the comprehensive treatment of the subject makes the work useful also to students of laser physics who want to supplement their theoretical knowledgewiththeengineeringaspectsoflasers.Althoughnotwrittenintheformofa collegetext,thebookmightbeusedinanadvancedcollegecourseonlasertechnology. After a historical overview, the book starts with a review of the basic concepts of laser physics (Chap. 1). Analytical expressions of the threshold condition, gain, and output of laser oscillators are derived in Chap. 3. An oscillator followed by one or more ampliflers is a common architecture in pulsed solid-state laser systems to boost output energy. Energy storage and gain of ampliflers is discussed in Chap. 4. Four chapters deal with the basic subsystems of solid-state lasers. These are the active medium, the optical resonator, the pumping system, and the thermal mana- ment. Properties of solid-state laser hosts and active ions are reviewed in Chap. 2.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781441921178
Publisher:	Springer New York
Publication date:	11/29/2010
Series:	Springer Series in Optical Sciences , #1
Edition description:	Softcover reprint of hardcover 6th ed. 2006
Pages:	750
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.70(d)

About the Author

Walter Koechner received a doctorate in electrical engineering from the University of Technology in Vienna, Austria, in 1965. He has published numerous papers in the fields of solid-state lasers, optics and solid-state physics. Dr. Koechner is founder of Fibertek, Inc., a research company specializing in the design, development and production of advanced solid-state lasers, optical radars, and remote sensing systems.

Table of Contents

Energy Transfer Between Radiation and Atomic Transitions.- Properties of Solid-State Laser Materials.- Laser Oscillator.- Laser Amplifier.- Optical Resonator.- Optical Pump Systems.- Thermo-Optic Effects.- Q-Switching.- Mode Locking.- Nonlinear Devices.- Damage of Optical Elements.

Editorial Reviews

Written from an industrial perspective, discusses in detail the characteristics, design, construction, and performance of solid-state lasers. Emphasizes engineering and practical considerations; phenomenological aspects using models are preferred to abstract mathematical derivations. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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