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On Wed, 11 Dec 2002 21:25:39 -0500 Ludwik Kowalskiherbgottlieb@JUNO.COM 12/12/02 08:09AM >>>
<kowalskil@MAIL.MONTCLAIR.EDU> writes:
I forgot to add the obvious, the "amplifier" must received
energy to populate excited levels. I suppose this can
be done with visible non-coherent light.
Please explain a possible mechanism by which non-coherent
light can provide the energy to to populate ther excited levels
Has it ever been done already? If so, where can I find out
more about it?
A ruby laser uses flashlamps to create the population inversion, so
this has been done long ago.
Note that a laser amplifier is relatively easy to make--it is just the
optical medium with a population inversion and no optical cavity. You
pass a low power beam through the medium, and stimulated emission takes
place. In a very crude sense, you're cloning the photons of the original
beam, so the beam quality at the output is similar to that of the input.
There are advantages to using a low-power laser (called the oscillator)
and a stage or three of amplification, instead of a strongly-pumped
laser consisting of only the oscillator (optical medium with inversion
surrounded by an optical cavity, a.k.a., the mirrors).
J Gastineau