AN ENHANCEMENT OF PUMP EFFICIENCY OF A TI-SAPPHIRE TUBE LASER WITH ANINNER SPECTRUM CONVERTER

An inner spectrum converter was employed to enhance the pump efficienc y of a Ti:sapphire laser system. The inner converter was inserted alon g the hollow of the laser tube for additional spectrum conversions of the photons transmitted through the outer converter jacket and the las er-tube wall, The pump source was an array of hypocycloidal pinches th at produced intense broad-band, rich in the near-ultraviolet, emission s. The increase of laser efficiency is attributable to the inner conve rter which offered an efficient spectral coupling into the center of t he Ti:sapphire absorption band and a better geometric coupling than th e outer converter. (C) 1997 American Institute of Physics.