Development of an optical time scale

A time standard based on the use of an optical oscillation period of a frequencystable He–Ne laser as a time scale is first described. We obtained highly frequency-stable oscillations in the SHF range that were locked to the oscillations of a He–Ne laser stabilized to an absorption resonance in methane at 3.39 m. A direct comparison of frequency stabilities of a rubidium standard and He–Ne/CH₄ laser has been made. The absolute measurement of the frequency of the He–Ne/CH₄ laser we performed gave a new value of frequency.This work was reported at the 3rd Frequency Standards and Metrology Symposium     

Frequency tuning peculiarities of enhanced power monomode He−Ne lasers

Experimental results are presented concerning some peculiarities of frequency tuning of single-longitudinal-mode He–Ne lasers at 632.8 nm which single-mode selection is performed by increasing the homogeneous broadening of laser transition. These include the observation of an asymmetry of tuning regions with respect to the output power maximum; a jump of lasing frequency during which output power drops; and a strong dependence of frequency tuning on gas pressure and output power. In the case of a mixture of ²⁰Ne and ²²Ne isotopes, analytical expressions for the dependence on frequency of output power, unsaturated gain and saturated gain are obtained and computed at different neon isotope concentrations, gas pressures and cavity losses. Simultaneous consideration of these dependences is proposed and used for an explanation of experimentally observed peculiarities in frequency tuning. The obtained results could be used for realization of a frequency-stabilized He–Ne laser of a few milliwatts power for the purposes of multidimensional interferometric measurements.     

Enhanced applications of speaker-modulated helium–neon laser beam

Wide range of applications using He–Ne laser were carried out employing speaker for vibration modulation. The very simple method was achieved by gluing a mirror to the diaphragm of an ordinary miniature speaker. The technique allows many of the applications that depend on laser absorption coincidences to be performed by a He–Ne laser enhancing by the range of applications in which it can be used and avoiding the complications and expenses needed for sophisticated equipment. Speaker modulation was found efficient and comparable to mechanical chopper modulation. The method is sensitive enough to determine minute changes in index of refraction or transparent material thickness change and suitable for odor emission monitor.     

Two kinds of novel birefringent dual-frequency lasers

Two kinds of novel dual-frequency He–Ne lasers are presented and described in this paper based on the birefringent laser frequency splitting technology: the full-inner cavity photoelastic dual-frequency laser and the half-inner cavity photoelastic dual-frequency laser. The frequency difference between the two kinds of dual-frequency laser can be adjusted from tens to hundreds of megahertz through adjusting the mechanical pressure exerted on the photoelastic element. The stability of the frequency differences of the two lasers are 10⁻³ and 10⁻⁵, respectively, after the lasers are turned on for a while.     

Self-assembled volume vortex grating induced by femtosecond laser pulses in glass

We presented a microfabrication process for optical volume vortex grating inside glass by femtosecond laser pulses. The self-trapped filament of femtosecond laser pulses can induce hundreds μm-long region refractive-index changes in glass. We realized the restructured optical vortex beams using a collimated He–Ne laser beam. The maximum first-order diffraction efficiency was about 19.6%. The volume vortex grating structure fabricated in glass is polarization dependent.     

Direct measurement on transparent plates by using Fizeau interferometry

It is shown that Fizeau interferometry provides an accurate optical method to measure the refractive index and wedge angle of transparent plates used as optical components in different experiments. A near IR external cavity diode laser having spectral resolution up to 10⁻⁷ has been employed to measure the refractive index of the test plates by introducing amplitude modulation technique in the detection system of our phase shifting Fizeau interferometry. Detection of spatial fringes has been performed to find out the wedge angles of the plates by using a He–Ne laser along with the CCD-image sensor.     

Polarization Characteristics of He–Ne Laser Radiation Reflected by Glass‐Reinforced Plastic

We have measured the Stokes parameters of the He–Ne laser radiation ( = 0.63 m) reflected at angles of incidence from 5 to 70° by glassreinforced plastic based on a siliconorganic polymer binder before and after its heating to 1200 K by CO₂ laser radiation. The probe radiation from the He–Ne laser is linearly polarized parallel or perpendicular to the incidence plane. It is shown that the flux reflected in the mirror direction by samples illuminated at a Brewster angle ( 56°) by He–Ne laser radiation linearly polarized in the plane of incidence contains a component with elliptical polarization.     

Calculation of Refractive Index Changes from Thermal Lens Fringes using Continuous Wavelet Algorithm

Thermal lens fringes are obtained on the nile-blue/ethanol solution by illuminating it with a He–Ne laser in a Mach–Zehnder interferometer. The refractive index change distribution of these fringes is calculated by using two different continuous wavelet transform (CWT) algorithms. It is concluded that the CWT-phase method works better than the CWT-gradient algorithm for the analysis of thermal lens fringes according to theoretical results.     

A 5 MHz beat frequency He–Ne laser equipped with bireflectance cavity mirror

A He–Ne dual-frequency laser equipped with a bireflectance cavity mirror is described. It is based on the principle that when the incident light is perpendicular to the bireflectance cavity mirror, the phase delays of the reflective light along the mirror's fast and slow axes are different because of the photoelastic effect. The mode coupling is reduced by utilizing transverse Zeeman effect so that two linear and orthogonal polarization components with 5 MHz beat frequency are generated. The effect of the magnetic field's direction on the dual-frequency as well as the polarization property of the laser are investigated by experiments. After stabilizing the frequency, the laser is calibrated with the iodine frequency stabilization laser of Chinese National Institute of Metrology (CNIM). Experimental results indicate that the expanded uncertainty of wavelength in vacuum is 1×10⁻⁷ (k=3) with a frequency stabilization of 6.6×10⁻¹⁰ (sampled in 1000 s).     

Low-frequency modulation of 0.6328 μm He–Ne laser by transverse magnetic field intensity

Effect of transverse magnetic field on 0.6328 μm He–Ne laser light polarized parallel and perpendicular to transverse magnetic field has been studied in this paper. Low-frequency modulation of two kinds of polarized laser light is completed and low-frequency modulation of polarization degree is put forward.     

Characterization of probe lasers for thin-film optical measurements

The peak-power-density stability and beam-wander precision of a probe laser are important factors affecting the inspection results in precise thin-film optical measurements. These factors are also key to evaluating a probe laser for in-line long-time operation of precise thin-film optical measurements. The peak-power density and beam wander of liner helium–neon (He–Ne) lasers, random He–Ne lasers, and diode lasers as functions of time are investigated experimentally using a beam profiler. It is found that the linear polarized He–Ne laser is considered to be a promising candidate for a probe laser employed in precise thin-film optical measurements due to better peak-power-density stability and beam-wander precision. Both the peak-power-density stability and beam-wander precision of He–Ne lasers are usually better than that of diode lasers, but an adequate warm-up of He–Ne laser for 30 min is required before thin-film optical measurements are made. After 12 h operation, the linear polarized He–Ne laser is suitable for precise thin-film optical measurements because both the peak-power-density stability and the beam-wander precision reach the minimum level. A cost-effective system composed of two linear polarized He–Ne lasers for long-term operation is proposed. This system can operate for around 0.5–1.2 years in precise thin-film optical measurements under the normal operating life of a He–Ne laser by switching the probe laser every 18 h.     

Simple single-frequency He-Ne laser

For a (0.5–0.6)m long He–Ne laser tube, single longitudinal mode 632.8 nm generation is obtained, using a higher gas-mixture pressure and application of an axial magnetic field. An efficient and very simple mode selection is obtained by gas-mixture pressure increase only. A multimode power to single-mode power conversion coefficientk=0.75 is obtained by increasing the tube pressure. A further increase tok=0.85 is possible with optimum magnetic field and gas pressure.     

Design and operation of a fiber optic sensor for liquid level detection

Design and construction of an optical fiber sensor for liquid level detection are reported. This sensor operates based on light intensity modulation, and such modulation results from alteration of total internal reflection into partial reflection at the interface. The modulated intensity has been measured by using a pair of fibers, one transmitting source light, another acting as receiving fiber, and a glass prism providing the total and partial reflections. During the level measurements, when a liquid in a vessel touches the 45° faces of the 45-90-45° prism, the total internal reflection is disturbed, and the reflected light is modulated. The performance of this sensor is tested with different source lights including a light emitting diode (LED), a diode laser, and a He–Ne laser. Extinction ratio has been measured for different liquids, and compared. This ratio for water using LED source is about 0.03, for diode laser is 0.006 and for He–Ne laser is 0.003. Although this device was tested as a liquid level sensor, but the distinct results obtained for samples with different index of refractions demonstrate that the reported sensor can also be used as a liquid refractometer.     

Laser computed tomography of opaque industrial products measured by coherent detection imaging method

The coherent detection imaging method with a low-power He–Ne laser as the source is used to obtain transillumination laser computed tomographic and two-dimensional (2D) images of opaque industrial products such as fluorescent lamps and electric light bulbs. This method is principally based on the optical heterodyne detection technique that has the highest sensitivity along with excellent selectivity in terms of coherence, polarization and high directionality. Structures of the filament and electrode enclosed in the opaque glass were clearly identified with submillimeter resolution.     

Theoretical treatment of RF discharges in coaxial He–Ne laser

Based on the ambi-polar diffusion, a model to simulate the coaxial RF-excited He–Ne laser plasmas is set up, and the microprocesses in laser plasmas are studied. Some parameters such as the spatial distribution of electron density, RF electric field, RF power density and excitation efficiency for upper laser level are calculated and discussed, which are suitable to describe the electrical properties of the discharges. The theoretical results can explain some experimental phenomena and guide the experimental study.     

An enhanced common path interference optic measurement system for refractive indices and thickness

This study proposes a common path interference optical system for the measurement of refractive indices and thickness of uniaxial crystal material. The measurement system comprises an accurate Mach–Zehnder laser interferometer, a single-axis rotary stepping motor, and a computer. The laser interferometer is composed of a single-frequency He–Ne laser, two-beam splitters and two reflectors. The Mach–Zehnder laser interferometer measures the optical length difference by using its linear measurement accuracy. The proposed solution procedure enables both the refractive indices and the thickness of the optical waveplate to be obtained. The proposed design differs from conventional designs in that it does not use a heterodyne modulator with a lock-in technique. It is shown that the refractive indices and thickness of the tested optical elements can be measured rapidly and accurately.     

Modulation of Particle Concentrations in the Interference Laser Radiation Field

Spatial redistribution of microparticles in a suspension on exposure to the interference laser field depending on the parameters of the particles and the field characteristics has been analyzed theoretically. Results of experimental investigations are presented that illustrate the capture of an ensemble of polymeric small spheres and also of the lymphocytes of human blood and other microparticles in a liquid in the interference radiation bands of the He–Ne laser.     

Photon-induced switching and tunneling phenomena in a YBCO thin film junction

In the persistent photoconductivity (PPC) phenomenon, illumination of a YBa₂Cu₃O_6.5 thin film junction with a 1mW He−Ne laser leads to the decrease of the critical voltage (similar to the threshold voltage). The decrease of the critical voltage was reversed by illumination with incandescent light. The critical voltage across the junction was experimentally decreased and increased by alternating illumination between He−Ne laser and incandescent light. We also observed visible quenching of the photo-induced state using a 5mW He−Ne laser. Finally, the threshold behavior of the junction was destroyed by illuminating it with incandescent light.     

A simple method for single-frequency operation and stabilization of a He−Ne laser

A simple method for single-frequency operation and stabilization of a low power He–Ne laser has been described and used. With a proper resonator length very weak sideband modes on each side of the strong mode produce a feedback signal to a piezoelectric pusher which controls the resonator length. The long-term frequency stability was estimated to be about ±10 MHz.     

The opposite beams in He−Ne ring laser at 632.8 nm

Summary In the paper the resonant interaction of the opposite beams in a He−Ne ring laser at 632.8 nm is discussed on the basis of experimental results. These results show that the stable laser generation is attained when no simultaneous interaction of the opposite beams exists in the laser system. In the experiment, the mode-locking generation was obtained by applying a combining mirror, reflecting some part of the output beam into the laser cavity.

---

Riassunto Nel lavoro si discute sulla base dei risultati sperimentali l’interazione risonante degli sciami opposti in un laser ad anello He−Ne a 632.8 nm. Questi risultati mostrano che la generazione laser stabile è raggiunta quando nessuna interazione simultanea di raggi opposti esiste nel sistema laser. Nell’esperimento, la generazione di modi vincolati in fase è stata ottenuta applicando uno specchio combinante, che riflette qualche parte del raggio di output nella cavità laser.