1. THE ARGON ION LASER “The most noble of them all”
Benjamin Brenny Photon Physics

2. Laser Setup: How it works
electric discharge
argon gas → plasma of excited argon ions
relaxing ions → photons

3. Energy Level Scheme

4. Pumping Scheme: Transfer from below
Pumping by electric discharge

5. Technical information & parameters
Usually CW laser
25 wavelengths in visible spectrum, 10 in UV
488.0 nm (blue) and nm (green)
Argon gas pressure & temperature: 0.1 Torr, 1000°C
Electron Temperature: , K
Doppler broadening is dominant:

6. 3 Sizes of Argon Ion Lasers
High-power, large-frame:
Output power: 100 W on multiple lines, 10 W on strong nm wavelength
Input power: 60 kW or more (100 A discharge…)
Water cooling: nearly 20 liters/min
Medium-power, small-frame:
Output power: up to 5 W multi-line, 2 W single-line
Input Power: 10 kW
Water cooling: nearly 8 liters/min
Air-cooled laser:
Output power: 10 mW at nm
Input Power: 1 kW

7. Laser Modes & Lines
Basic 488 nm line is a TEM00 mode

8. Applications Phototherapy
Pumping other lasers (especially dye and Ti:S)
Laser printing
Cell Cytomery
Stereolithography

9. Recent Experiment: For your teeth!
Lasers Med Sci (2009) 24:1–5
Cavities are filled with hybrid composite
Exposed to different light sources
Immersed in dye solution, its penetration is measured
Argon laser has best results!

10. Questions???
Any Questions about the greatest laser system in the whole world, in the history of mankind?