Tunable solid-state lasers incorporating dye-doped, polymer-nanoparticle gain media.
Tunable laser action in the visible spectrum has been established for what is believed to be the first time by use of dye-doped, polymer-silica nanoparticle gain media. The silica nanoparticles, ranging from 9 to 12 nm in diameter, appear to be uniformly dispersed in the poly(methyl methacrylate) matrix because the optical homogeneity of the gain medium is maintained. With Rhodamine 6G dye and 30% weight-by-weight silica nanoparticles, laser action was established in the 567-603-nm range. At the peak wavelength (lambda approximately 580 nm), laser conversion efficiency is approximately 63% at a beam divergence of 1.9 mrad (approximately 1.3 times the diffraction limit). The new solid-state gain medium also exhibits a reduction in /deltan/deltaT/.
Eastman Kodak Company, Research Laboratories, Rochester, New York 14650, USA. fjduarte@opticsjournal.com
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James