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The Science of Light Amplification: An Extensive Laser course

By Prof. Paramita Deb   |   Bhabha Atomic Research Centre(BARC)_IIT Bombay
Learners enrolled: 209   |  Exam registration: 6
ABOUT THE COURSE:
The lectures will introduce different types of lasers invented and developed till now.. The underlying principles will be interwoven as the lectures progress. Some of the principles that will be covered are linear optics, non-linear optics, Stimulated emission,, population inversion, and optical resonators. Laser applications in Industry and medicine and other fields of science. Also an introduction to Ultrafast laser systems and attosecond physics.

INTENDED AUDIENCE: Third year Graduate/ First year Post Graduate/ Fourth Year Engineering Graduate/ Course for PhD students.

PREREQUISITES: Basics of Optics, Atomic & Molecular Physics, Solid state physics and Nuclear Physics.

INDUSTRY SUPPORT: Medical Instrumentation industry. The heavy vehical / light vehical industry. The Aviation industry. The military / arms industry.
Summary
Course Status : Upcoming
Course Type : Elective
Language for course content : English
Duration : 12 weeks
Category :
  • Physics
Credit Points : 3
Level : Postgraduate
Start Date : 20 Jan 2025
End Date : 11 Apr 2025
Enrollment Ends : 27 Jan 2025
Exam Registration Ends : 14 Feb 2025
Exam Date : 04 May 2025 IST

Note: This exam date is subject to change based on seat availability. You can check final exam date on your hall ticket.


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Course layout

Week 1:  Historical development of lasers. A scan of the Nobel prizes (related to Laser Science) won over the years. Different types of lasers invented till now. Overview of electromagnetic radiation and laser-matter interaction principles.
Week 2: Basic principles of Laser operation: Stimulated emission, population inversion, optical resonators. Laser cavity design and components. Pumping mechanisms like electrical, chemical and optical. Atomic and Molecular Physics, Gain medium and Energy Levels.
Week 3: Underlying principles and technology of Laser modes and mode-locking , Q-switching and cavity dumping. Laser components and systems.
Week 4: Wave properties of light: Wave velocity, Phase velocity and group velocity. Transverse electromagnetic waves and polarized light. Particle nature of light and discrete energy levels. Radiative transitions and emission line width.
Week 5: Medical applications like opthalmology, dermatology, and surgery.Applications in telecommunication defence and space. Application in LIDAR. Applications in manufacturing and industry. Application in scientific research like spectroscopy and particle acceleration. Application in entertainment and display. Use of lasers in cutting welding and drilling.
Week 6: Basics of Non-Linear optics. Comparison of Linear optics and Nonlinear Optics. Fundamental concepts like nonlinear susceptibilities. Understanding the mechanisms behind second harmonic generation, sum frequency generation, difference frequency generation and parametric amplification.
Week 7: Phenomenon in non-linear optics like self focusing, self phase modulation, four wave mixing optical solitons. Materials in non-linear optics, including crystals, organic materials and optical fibers. Optical parametric oscillators, frequency convertors and optical switches.
Week 8: Introduction to High Peak Power Laser systems and Ultra short pulsed lasers. The technology of long laser chains and the discovery of chirped pulse amplification. Laser Emerging trends in Ultrafast lasers and attosecond physics.
Week 9: Generation, characterization and manipulation of short laser pulses. Measurement techniques of ultra short pulsed lasers: Auto – correlation methods, Frequency resolved optical gating,
Week 10: Time-domain measurement techniques and Frequency-domain measurement techniques of ultra short pulses.
Week 11: Basic Laser Spectroscopy like absorption and emission spectra. Interaction of light with matter and some experimental techniques.
Week 12: The futuristic use of lasers in generating energy from fusion. The efforts that have been put in till now and its future direction.

Books and references

1. “Optics” by A. N. Matveev
2.“Nonlinear Optics – Basic Concepts” by D. L. Mills.
3. “ Nonlinear Optics” by Y. R. Shen
4. “Lasers:Fundamentals and Applications” by K. Thyagarajan and Ajoy Ghatak.
5. “Principles of Lasers” by Orazio Svelto.
6. “Laser Fundamentals” by William T Silfvast.
7. “Laser Spectroscopy:Basic Concepts and Instrumentation” by Wolfgang Demtroder.

Instructor bio

Prof. Paramita Deb

Bhabha Atomic Research Centre(BARC)_IIT Bombay
Dr. Paramita Deb has worked in the field of Laser Physics and technology for over three decades. She has immense practical and theoretical knowledge and a good amount of teaching experience. The detailed Curriculum Vitae is attached.

Course certificate

The course is free to enroll and learn from. But if you want a certificate, you have to register and write the proctored exam conducted by us in person at any of the designated exam centres.
The exam is optional for a fee of Rs 1000/- (Rupees one thousand only).
Date and Time of Exams:May 4, 2025 Morning session 9am to 12 noon; Afternoon Session 2pm to 5pm.
Registration url: Announcements will be made when the registration form is open for registrations.
The online registration form has to be filled and the certification exam fee needs to be paid. More details will be made available when the exam registration form is published. If there are any changes, it will be mentioned then.
Please check the form for more details on the cities where the exams will be held, the conditions you agree to when you fill the form etc.

CRITERIA TO GET A CERTIFICATE

Average assignment score = 25% of average of best 8 assignments out of the total 12 assignments given in the course.
Exam score = 75% of the proctored certification exam score out of 100

Final score = Average assignment score + Exam score

Please note that assignments encompass all types (including quizzes, programming tasks, and essay submissions) available in the specific week.

YOU WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR A CERTIFICATE ONLY IF AVERAGE ASSIGNMENT SCORE >=10/25 AND EXAM SCORE >= 30/75. If one of the 2 criteria is not met, you will not get the certificate even if the Final score >= 40/100.

Certificate will have your name, photograph and the score in the final exam with the breakup.It will have the logos of NPTEL and IIT Bombay .It will be e-verifiable at nptel.ac.in/noc.

Only the e-certificate will be made available. Hard copies will not be dispatched.

Once again, thanks for your interest in our online courses and certification. Happy learning.

- NPTEL team


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