Page 189 - Tunable Lasers Handbook

Dye Lasers

F. J. Duarte
Eastniun KodaX Cornpponj
Rochester, Nea, YorX

1. INTRODUCTION

Dye lasers are unique sources of tunable coherent radiation that offer unpar-
alleled operational flexibility. Broad tunability, from the near ultraviolet to the
near infrared (Fig. 1). is facilitated by the existence of hundreds of laser dye
molecular species. The tuning range of pulsed narrow-bandwidth emission
achievable with a single dye can be up to 50 nm. Significantly broader tuning
ranges (up to 100 nm) can be obtained with some dyes under pulsed broadband
and continuous wave (cw) operation.
In addition to tunability, an intrinsic feature of dye lasers is their inherent
ability to yield high-pulse energies and high-average powers in the visible [I].
Single-pulse energies in excess of several hundred joules and average powers in
excess of 2.5 kW have been reported [2]. This unparalleled performance is greatly
facilitated by the heat dissipating ability of the gain medium in the liquid phase.
On the other hand. highly stabilized single-longitudinal-mode cw dye lasers
can yield frequency drift rates below 1 Hz/sec [3.4]. In the ultrashort-pulse
regime dye lasers have demonstrated pulses as short as 19 fs [5] and extra cavity
prism-grating compressors have yielded 6-fs pulses [6]. In this regard. dye
lasers have been an important vehicle in the de\:elopment of many pioneering

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