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11.2.3.1: Gas Lasers

  • Page ID
    415380
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    • Examples of gas lasers include helium-neon (HeNe), nitrogen and argon-ion
    • The gain medium in these lasers is a gas-filled tube
    • Excitation of gas molecules is achieved by the passage of an electric current or discharge through the gas
    • In a HeNe laser, an electric discharge excites He atoms to excited levels. Collisions between He and Ne atoms transfer energy and produce excited Ne atoms. Lasing occurs when Ne atoms attain a population inversion.
    • The lasing transition in a HeNe laser procudes light at 632.8 nm.

    energy level diagram - HeNe.PNG

    Simplified energy level diagram showing HeNe laser transitions.


    This page titled 11.2.3.1: Gas Lasers is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Carol Korzeniewski via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform; a detailed edit history is available upon request.