Efficient,high photostability,high brightness,co-polymer solid state dye lasers |
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| Authors: | Shirin M Giffin William J Wadsworth Iain T McKinnie Anthony D Woolhouse Gerald J Smith Tim G Haskell |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Physics , University of Otago , PO Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand E-mail: mckinnie@physics.otago.ac.nz;2. Industrial Research Limited, Gracefield Research Centre , Lower Hutt, New Zealand |
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| Abstract: | Abstract We report an investigation of the laser beam quality, efficiency and photostability of rhodamine 590 solid state dye lasers with hosts based upon 2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate and methylmethacrylate P(HEMA:MMA) co-polymers and modified methylmethacrylate (MPMMA) polymers with ethanol and dimethylsulphoxide additives. Highest efficiencies were obtained with MPMMA, with slope efficiencies of up to 44% (corresponding to 61% optical-optical conversion) measured for ethanolic MPMMA. P(HEMA:MMA) hosts gave superior photostability, with the highest normalized photostability of 240 GJ mol?1 obtained for a P(HEMA:MMA) 1:1 rod. A simple resonator has been used to compensate the effects of thermal lensing and pump mode-mismatch, resulting in optimized beam quality for MPMMA lasers. |
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