title: Thermal and optical properties of polymer hosts for solid-state dye lasers.
abstract: We present measurements of thermal and optical properties of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), PMMA modified by the addition of ethanol (MPMMA), and copolymers of methyl methacrylate with 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate [P(HEMA:MMA)]. Spectral transmission of the polymers is excellent (alpha = 0.5 cm(-1) at 400 nm, decreasing to 0.04 cm(-1) at 633 nm). Measured laser damage thresholds of MPMMA and P(HEMA:MMA) show at least a twofold increase over PMMA. Thermal lensing measured in these hosts doped with Rhodamine 6G is shown to be similar (f = -450 mm for pump power of 200 mW in a 2-mm-diameter spot, scaling with pump intensity). Compared with MPMMA, P(HEMA:MMA) offers an improved surface quality and a more uniform dye distribution.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand.
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Wadsworth
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Giffin
authors.forename: I T
authors.initials: IT
authors.lastname: McKinnie
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Sharpe
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Woolhouse
authors.forename: T G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Haskell
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Smith