Introduction

The intensity of a laser beam is not uniform along its cross section, but it is distributed obeying
Gaussian distribution. Our main aim here in this experiment is to find the diameter of the beam.
The method we employ is simple, a photo-detector scans the whole beam across, and then the
region of space over which a reasonable intensity part of the beam is distributed is named the
diameter of the beam. Theoretically the beam spreads up to infinity but we are going to find the
dimensions of that region of space in which the intensity is of practical importance.

Procedure

First I switched on the He-Ne laser. Then I used two convex lenses to get a collimated beam. The
collimation is already discussed in optical computing experiment. Then I aligned the beam.
After alignment I focused the beam on the photo-detector. I measured the maximum intensity of
the beam. This maximum intensity is the center of the beam. Then I block the laser light so that
no light can fall on the detector, and measured the background intensity. Then I subtracted the
background intensity from the maximum intensity. This intensity is called net maximum
intensity.
The detector is very sensitive to the slightest changes in the environment and hence great care is
required. It is also required that the lights should be turned off inside the lab to avoid and stray
light from entering the detector.
The following fig. depicts the arrangement.

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Now I took a knife edge sharp metal strip, and put it in the path of the beam so that it allows only
a small part of the beam inside the detector. This will enable us in scanning the whole beam
intensity profile. The metal strip is very sharp with no fine structures such as dents and bending,
thus it gets the name knife edge. Now I moved away the knife edge from the beam so that all the
light enters the detector. Then I noted the reading for this. Then I started moving the knife edge
towards the beam very slowly, and I reached a point at which the intensity value on the detector
started changing. I marked this point as X1 on the micrometer attached to the knife edge. I noted
this point and also the intensity on this point. Then I moved the knife edge so much such that the
whole detector is covered and no light is entering it. Then I started moving it back and a point
reached such that some intensity was registered on the detector. I called this point X2 on the
micrometer and noted the intensity on this point. Then I calculated the distance X2-X1 and
divided it by 30 so that I can scan this distance in 30 steps hence taking 30 readings.
The following graph is depicting the whole story.
Also
d=X2-X1
and I found the step after which I had to take reading by the formula

S=d/30
Where 30 are the no. of readings.

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I took the readings starting from center and moving each time for a step length of “S”. Then I
stopped readings when I reached X2.
Then I subtracted the background intensity from the recorded intensity to get the net intensity.
Then I divided the whole readings on the net maximum intensity to normalize it.
The following is the table of the normalized intensity and also the other readings.

Readings By Sadiq Nawaz Khan

X1=6.20 mm
X2=15.25 mm
d=9.05 mm
then S=9.05/30=0.302 mm

but this is very small step, thus I choose the step 0.5 mm.
and
IB=0.65
Imax=3.47

Let the center point is arbitrarily assigned a position x=0

Distance mm I Inet=I-IB Inor=Inet/Imax

0 3.47 2.82 1
0.5 3.45 2.8 0.99
1 3.43 2.78 0.98
1.5 3.38 2.73 0.96
2 3.25 2.6 0.92
2.5 3.1 2.45 0.86
3 2.9 2.25 0.79
3.5 2.64 1.99 0.70
4 2.3 1.65 0.58
4.5 1.9 1.25 0.44
5 1.72 1.07 0.37
5.5 1.46 0.81 0.28
6 1.22 0.57 0.20
6.5 1.05 0.4 0.14
7 0.88 0.23 0.08
7.5 0.79 0.14 0.04
8 0.75 0.1 0.03
8.5 0.7 0.05 0.017
9 0.68 0.03 0.010
9.5 0.65 0 0

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The graph of the above data is given below.

This is a very beautiful curve showing that the effective value of the beam intensity that is given
by Imax/e2 lies at 6.6 mm from the center.
then
Imax lies at X=0
And Imax/e2 lies at X=6.6 mm
D=6.6 mm

The other data taken by Irfan and Saboohi is also given in the following.

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Saboohi readings
IB=0.25 Imax=2.06
Distance mm I Inet=I- IB Inor=Inet/Imax
0 2.31 2.06 1
0.5 2.29 2.04 0.99
1 2.28 2.03 0.98
1.5 2.26 2.01 0.97
2 2.19 1.94 0.94
2.5 2.08 1.83 0.88
3 1.93 1.68 0.81
3.5 1.85 1.6 0.77
4 1.74 1.49 0.72
4.5 1.3 1.05 0.51
5 1.04 0.79 0.38
5.5 0.81 0.56 0.27
6 0.59 0.34 0.16
6.5 0.42 0.17 0.08
7 0.3 0.05 0.02
7.5 0.25 0 0

D=6.3 mm here.

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Irfan bhai reading
IB=0.7 Imax =2.65
Distance mm I Inet=I- IB Inor=Inet/Imax
0 3.35 2.65 1
0.5 3.35 2.65 1
1 3.33 2.63 0.99
1.5 3.32 2.62 0.98
2 3.3 2.6 0.98
2.5 3.21 2.51 0.94
3 3.04 2.34 0.88
3.5 2.82 2.12 0.8
4 2.58 1.88 0.71
4.5 2.25 1.55 0.58
5 1.91 1.21 0.45
5.5 1.64 0.94 0.35
6 1.35 0.65 0.24
6.5 1.11 0.41 0.15
7 0.93 0.23 0.08
7.5 0.72 0.02 0.007
8 0.7 0 0

D=6.6 mm here.

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Combining the result into a single result by taking the average of the three readings we get

D= (6.6+6.3+6.6)/3 =6.5 mm

Thus the beam diameter is 6.5 mm.

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