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Full-Text Articles in Physics
Polarization Properties Of Airy And Ince-Gaussian Laser Beams, Sean Michael Nomoto
Polarization Properties Of Airy And Ince-Gaussian Laser Beams, Sean Michael Nomoto
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
The description of polarization states of laser light as linear, circular polarization within the paraxial scalar wave approximation is adequate for most applications. However, this description falls short when considering laser light as an electromagnetic wave satisfying Maxwell's equations. An electric field with a constant unit vector for direction of the field and a space dependent complex scalar amplitude in the paraxial wave approximation does not satisfy Maxwell equations which, in general, requires all three Cartesian components of electric and magnetic fields associated for a nonzero laser beam to be nonzero.
Physical observation of passing a linearly polarized laser through …
Lasers, Noah B. Caro
Spectroscopy Of Neon For The Advanced Undergraduate Laboratory, H. C. Busch, M. B. Cooper, C. I. Sukenik
Spectroscopy Of Neon For The Advanced Undergraduate Laboratory, H. C. Busch, M. B. Cooper, C. I. Sukenik
Physics Faculty Publications
We describe a spectroscopy experiment, suitable for upper-division laboratory courses, that investigates saturated absorption spectroscopy and polarization spectroscopy in a neon discharge. Both experiments use nearly identical components, allowing students to explore both techniques in a single apparatus. Furthermore, because the wavelength of the laser is in the visible part of the spectrum (640 nm), the experiment is well-suited for students with limited experience in optical alignment. The labs nicely complement a course in atomic or plasma physics, provide students with the opportunity to gain important technical skills in the area of optics and lasers, and can provide an introduction …