Solid-state Random Lasers

by Noginov, Mikhail A.

• ISBN13: 9780387239132
• ISBN10: 0387239138
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-10-15
• Publisher: Springer Verlag

Summary

Random lasers are the simplest sources of stimulated emission without cavity, with the feedback provided by scattering in a gain medium. First proposed in the late 1960s, random lasers have grown to a large research field. This book reviews the history and the state of the art of random lasers, provides an outline of the basic models describing their behavior, and describes the recent advances in the field. The major focus of the book is on solid-state random lasers. However, it also briefly describes random lasers based on liquid dyes with scatterers. The chapters of the book are almost independent of each other. So, the scientists or engineers interested in any particular aspect of random lasers can read directly the relevant section. Researchers entering the field of random lasers will find in the book an overview of the field of study. Scientists working in the field can use the book as a reference source.

Table of Contents

Foreword	vii
Preface	ix
1 Lasers with Nonresonant Feedback and Laserlike Emission from Powders: Early Ideas and Experiments	1	(9)
1.1 Idea of Laser with Nonresonant Feedback and Random Laser	1	(3)
1.2 Early Experiments	4	(3)
References	7	(3)
2 Neodymium Random Lasers: Experimental Studies of Stimulated Emission	10	(42)
2.1 First Observation of Stimulated Emission in Powders of Neodymium-Doped Materials	10	(1)
2.2 Basic Properties of Neodymium-Doped Random Lasers	11	(5)
2.2.1 Emission Kinetics	12	(1)
2.2.2 Spectrum of Laserlike Emission	12	(2)
2.2.3 Input–Output Dependence	14	(1)
2.2.4 Angular Distribution of Stimulated Emission	15	(1)
2.3 Stimulated Emission in Different Materials and Types of Samples	16	(7)
2.4 Stimulated Emission in Mixtures of Powders	23	(2)
2.5 Stimulated Emission Supported by Large Regularly Shaped Particles	25	(2)
2.6 Quantum Yield of Stimulated Emission	27	(3)
2.7 Coherence Studies	30	(9)
2.7.1 Interferometric Measurements of Longitudinal Coherence	30	(3)
2.7.2 Speckle Pattern Analysis	33	(2)
2.7.3 Interferometric Studies of Transversal Coherence	35	(4)
2.8 Dependence of the Stimulated Emission Threshold on the Diameter of the Pumped Spot	39	(2)
2.9 Dependence of the Stimulated Emission on the Powder Volume Density	41	(3)
2.10 Dependence of the Stimulated Emission on the Powder Particle Size	44	(3)
References	47	(5)
3 Propagation of Light in Neodymium Random Lasers	52	(16)
3.1 Propagation of Pumping Light	52	(1)
3.1.1 Model	52	(1)
3.1.2 Transmission and Reflection Measurements in Powders	54	(1)
3.1.3 Comparison of the Model Predictions with the Experimental Results	55	(2)
3.2 Determination of the Transport Mean Free Path in Random Laser Material	57	(1)
3.2.1 Experimental Samples and Absorption Spectra	58	(1)
3.2.2 Idea of Coherent Backscattering	59	(1)
3.2.3 Experimental Setup	59	(1)
3.2.4 Experimental Results	60	(1)
3.2.5 Correlation Between Transport Mean Free Path lt and Particle Size s: Comparison with Experiment	61	(5)
References	66	(2)
4 Theoretical Modeling of Neodymium Random Lasers	68	(33)
4.1 Diffusion Model	69	(3)
4.1.1 Prediction of Stimulated Emission	69	(1)
4.1.2 Spectrum Narrowing	70	(1)
4.1.3 Application of the Diffusion Model to Stimulated Emission in a Mixture of Powders	71	(1)
4.2 Modeling of Stimulated Emission Dynamics	72	(3)
4.3 Invariance of the Threshold Pumping Energy in Different Pumping Regimes	75	(7)
4.3.1 Random Laser Threshold in cw Regime	78	(1)
4.3.2 Random Laser Threshold in Pulsed Regime	79	(3)
4.4 Spectral Dynamics of Neodymium Random Lasers	82	(1)
4.5 Stimulated Emission in One-Dimensional Array of Coupled Lasing Volumes	83	(3)
4.6 Calculation of Random Laser Threshold in Diffusion Approximation	86	(3)
4.7 Application of the Diffusion Model: Comparison with Experiment	89	(2)
4.8 Dependence of the Random Laser Threshold on the Diameter of the Pumped Spot	91	(4)
4.8.1 Model and Monte Carlo Simulation of the Residence Time	92	(1)
4.8.2 Calculation Results	93	(2)
4.9 Model of Coupled Intraparticle Resonators	95	(2)
References	97	(4)
5 Engineering Aspects of Neodymium Random Lasers: External Seeding, Design, and Second Harmonic Generation	101	(19)
5.1 Control of Neodymium Random Laser Emission with External Seeding Light	101	(1)
5.2 Effect of External Mirror on Stimulated Emission	101	(4)
5.3 Fiber-Coupled Random Laser	105	(2)
5.4 Demonstration of a Second-Harmonic Powder Laser	107	(11)
5.4.1 Experimental Samples	107	(1)
5.4.2 Experimental Results	108	(1)
5.4.3 Modeling: Comparison of Theory and Experiment	109	(9)
References	118	(2)
6 Random Lasers Pumped with Electron Beam	120	(15)
6.1 Rare-Earth Random Lasers Directly Pumped with Electron Beam	120	(11)
6.1.1 Ce:δ-Alumina Random Laser	120	(5)
6.1.2 Pr:δ-Alumina Random Laser	125	(1)
6.1.3 Nd:δ-Alumina Random Laser	126	(4)
6.1.4 Discussion of Experiments with Electron Beam-Pumped δ-Alumina Powders	130	(1)
6.2 Nd:YAG Pumped with an Electron Beam via Scintillator	131	(1)
References	132	(3)
7 Semiconductor Random Lasers	135	(29)
7.1 ZnO Random Laser: Phenomenological Description and Intuitive Model	135	(2)
7.2 Study of Angular Distribution of Stimulated Emission in ZnO Random Laser	137	(3)
7.3 Effect of External Feedback in ZnO Random Laser	140	(1)
7.4 ZnO Microlaser and Strong Spatial Confinement of Simulated Emission	140	(3)
7.5 Photon Statistics in ZnO Random Laser	143	(2)
7.6 Effect of the Pumped Area on the Operation of ZnO Random Laser	145	(3)
7.7 Study of the Dynamics of ZnO Random Laser	148	(1)
7.8 Spectrally Resolved Speckle Studies in ZnO Random Laser	149	(2)
7.9 Stimulated Emission from 3D Photonic Crystals Made of Self-Assembled ZnO Colloidal Spheres	151	(1)
7.10 Quasi cw Stimulated Emission in ZnO Pellet	151	(2)
7.11 New Technological Realizations of ZnO Random Lasers	153	(1)
7.12 Random Lasing in Epitaxially Grown GaAsN	154	(1)
7.13 GaAs Random Laser	155	(4)
References	159	(5)
8 Dye and Polymer Random Lasers	164	(34)
8.1 Liquid Dye Random Lasers	164	(1)
8.1.1 Liquid Dye Random Lasers with Nonresonant Feedback	164	(1)
8.1.2 Transition from Incoherent Regime of Operation to Coherent Regime of Operation	168	(3)
8.2 Solid-State Polymer Random Lasers with Nonresonant Feedback	171	(1)
8.2.1 Photonic Fibers	171	(1)
8.2.2 Random Laser Action from Semiconducting Polymers with TiO2 Nanoparticles	171	(1)
8.2.3 Laserlike Emission in a Variety of Conjugated Polymers	172	(1)
8.2.4 Time-Resolved Studies of Stimulated Emission in Polymer Film	173	(5)
8.3 Polymer Random Lasers with Resonant Feedback	178	(1)
8.3.1 Transition from Incoherent Regime of Operation to Coherent Regime of Operation	178	(1)
8.3.2 Photon Statistics of Polymer Random Lasers	180	(1)
8.3.3 Fourier Transform of the Emission Spectra of Polymer Random Laser	182	(1)
8.3.4 Uniformity of Random Laser Cavities in Polymer Random Lasers	184	(1)
8.3.5 Coherent Polymer Random Lasers Based on PMMA Films Doped with Rhodamine 640 Dye and TiO2 Particles	186	(4)
8.4 Other Random Lasers Based on Dyes and Polymers	190	(1)
References	191	(7)
9 Other Types of Solid-State Random Lasers	198	(24)
9.1 Praseodymium-Doped Oxisulfide Powder Lasers	198	(1)
9.2 Ti-Sapphire Random Laser	198	(4)
9.2.1 Experimental Observation of Stimulated Emission in Ti-Sapphire Powder	198	(2)
9.2.2 Qualitative Explanation of the Influence of a Channel Formation on Stimulated Emission in Powders	200	(1)
9.2.3 Studies of Light Amplification in Ti-Sapphire Powders	201	(1)
9.3 Color Center Powder Laser	202	(10)
9.3.1 Experimental Samples and Setup	202	(1)
9.3.2 Experimental Results	203	(7)
9.3.3 Stimulated Emission in CC:LiF Powder	210	(2)
9.4 Mid-Infrared Eye-Safe Random Lasers Based on Cr²+:ZnS and Cr²+:ZnSe	212	(3)
9.5 Superradiance and Superfluorescence in Random Laser Materials	215	(4)
9.5.1 Properties of Cooperative Emission	215	(1)
9.5.2 Experimental Observations of Superradiance and Superfluorescence in Random Laser Materials	216	(3)
References	219	(3)
10 Applications of Random Lasers	222	(6)
Additional Notes and References	228	(2)
Index	230