LIQUID-LASER CAVITIES AND WAVE-GUIDES - I - DROPS AND RINGS

Series of liquids are proposed for use as optical components, and as l aser cavities and waveguides. Pulsed pumping of such cavities at lambd a = 532 nm resulted in lasing in the range 630-640 nm, which was inves tigated. Special features of liquid optical components used as sensors and employed in investigations of a variety of nonlinear processes we re considered. The use of volatile fluoro-organic compounds, which red uce the surface tension when in contact with liquids, induced a self-o rganising capillary instability of optical and laser components with c onstant wave-like or chaotic motion of their surface layers.