PHOTOACOUSTIC ANALYSIS OF STIMULATED-EMISSION IN PULSED DYE-LASERS

Stimulated emission in pulsed dye lasers was characterized in several experimental conditions by analyzing the changes in the acoustic signa ls generated in a dye solution, with the dye laser cavity either activ e or inhibited (i.e., by blocking the optical path or misaligning of t he optical components). Pump energy threshold, optimum dye concentrati on, tuning range and maximum-emission wavelength of a rhodamine 6G dye laser were measured by this method. An approximate model for the phot oacoustic signal generation consistent with the experiments is present ed.