Thread: Laser amplifier

I am in need of a laser/light amplifier for a few experiments that I am performing. Any of you guys know where I can buy one, namely for a HeNe red laser?

I looked around, but I can only find 'data repeaters' that destroy the original light, and deep infrared amplifiers that tend to run upwards of $1000. I bought my HeNe laser for $45, and as far as I know a 'laser amplifier' is essentially the same thing as my laser except with an input area so that secondary emission can occur towards the input light; perhaps in a way that the voltage alone cannot cause an excited energy state...only with the help of your input laser can it generate light. It should be possible to find one of these for under $100, but I'm not sure what they are called! "Laser amplifier" and similar keywords do not turn up favorable results.

Thanks.

There are lots of option for to buy a he ne red laser. I searched on the google and I found lots of companies. You can buy from the plasma labs. They are also providing the he ne red laser. I am mentioning the one chengdu. Chinese products so It will cost you less.

I am looking for a laser amplifier, not an emission source. That company does not seem to have what I need. My laser is only a 5mW HeNe tube....I'm under the impression that more powerful HeNe lasers use a secondary emission tube right after the main tube. I just do not know what that part is called, or even what that kind of HeNe laser is called.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optical_amplifier

"An optical amplifier may be thought of as a laser without an optical cavity, or one in which feedback from the cavity is suppressed. Stimulated emission in the amplifier's gain medium causes amplification of incoming light. "

Apparently most modern HeNe lasers generate stimulated emission internally and do not directly output their light. The trick is....how can I feed a dimmed laser beam back into my laser for re-amplification? Hmmm...perhaps...I could buy another HeNe laser, take a variac and reduce the input voltage from 120VAC to whatever point it takes for the laser to just barely not function, and then run my laser beam into it? The laser should bring the gas to a high enough energy state for emission to occur. But the question is still how to feed the laser in....anyone know if you can send the beam into the gain medium from an awkward angle? Maybe I could pry off the output coupler and leave some space inbetween it and the gain medium so that I can slip a beam past it....

Did some more reading; does the HeNe laser only acquire non-stimulated emission light from the trigger voltage? From what some articles are implicating, is seems as if light is only generated purely from electricity once, after which it is only a matter of amplifying light that is already in the optical cavity, which requires a far lower voltage, from around 7000 volts to 1500v. Or does the trigger voltage only break down and turn the HeNe into a plasma so that it can be effected by the 1500v, after which light is in fact being generated along with being amplified?

Where knowledge is naught, it shall be generated! I will do an experiment on the behalf of science and find answers! Lucky I already have most of the equipment needed to find this out. I will report back with the results :P

Well, be forewarned, I do not suggest attempting to remove the output coupler from a HeNe laser. Despite my careful attempt, I broke the seal on the gas, and destroyed the laser. $50 down the drain :x Turns out, the output coupler is used as the sealant for the gas....the only way to get it off would be to remove it inside a HeNe gas chamber of the same pressure as that inside the tube, and then cap it with a glass window. It may even be possible to melt it off with a very high power laser...Meh, I will need to find another way to get what I want. Those guys at Melles Griot and the other laser companies are making life hard for me!

I thought of perhaps using a HeNe lamp as a secondary emission source...but I cannot seem to find one! Perhaps by running a lower voltage into it, it will only generate light when a laser enters its medium.

Looks like I wont be burning any holes in paper with only HeNe lasers