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Tampere University Student’s Guide

Course unit, curriculum year 2026–2027
FYS.501

Laser Physics, 5 cr

Tampere University
Teaching periods
Course code
FYS.501
Language of learning
English
Academic years
2024–2025, 2025–2026, 2026–2027
Level of study
Advanced studies
Grading scale
General scale, 0-5
Persons responsible
Responsible teacher:
Mikko Huttunen
Responsible teacher:
Marco Ornigotti
Responsible organisation
Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences 100 %
Coordinating organisation
Starting from 1.8.2024:
Physics Studies 100 %
Core content
  • Basic structure of a laser
  • Properties of a laser beam:
    • Coherence
    • Directionality
    • Monochromaticity
    • Brightness
  • Fundamental interactions between light and matter
    • Fundamental processes
    • 2-, 3-, and 4-level systems
    • Population inversion
    • Semiclassical theory of light-matter interaction
    • Broadening mechanisms
    • Saturation of absorption and gain
  • Optical resonators properties
    • Ray optics approach to optical resonators
    • Fabry-Perot interferometer
    • ABCD matrices
    • Stability of an optical resonator
    • Quality factor and cavity lifetime
  • Paraxial Optics and Gaussian beams
    • Paraxial approximation
    • Fundamental Gaussian beam
    • Higher-order modes and cavity symmetry
  • Continuous wave laser operation
    • Rate equations
    • Conversion efficiency
    • Optimisation of output power

Complementary knowledge
  • Coherence
  • Saturation effects
  • Propagation of Gaussian beams
  • Modes characteristics inside resonators

Learning outcomes
Compulsory prerequisites
Further information
Learning material
Equivalences
Studies that include this course
Completion option 1
2x2h lecture and 1x2h exercise session per week. Weekly assignments to be solved by the students and submitted for grading. It is compulsory for a student to be admitted to the final exam, to present their weekly assignments at least once during the exercise sessions. The final grade for the course will be calculated as follows: final exam (60%) + weekly assignments (40%).
All parts of the completion option are compulsory.

Exam

Exam
08.12.2026 – 08.12.2026

Participation in teaching

Contact teaching, Blended teaching, Unscheduled online learning, Online-oriented blended teaching
Lectures (English)
20.10.2026 – 07.12.2026