TUNABLE, NARROW BANDWIDTH, 2 MW DYE-LASER PUMPED BY A KRF-STAR DISCHARGE LASER

Characteristics of p-terphenyl and PBD, the most efficient uv dyes, have been investigated under high intensity pumping by a multi-atmosphere KrF* discharge laser at 248 nm wavelength. Energy conversion efficiencies, spectral features and temporal behaviour of the dyes were studied parametrically. A maximum powerof 2 MW uv emission with a bandwidth of ∼2×10-2 nm was obtained for PBD. It was found that a mixture of both dyes provided higher (by a factor of 1.3) output in the range 348-366 nm than either of the dyes alone. Significant pump intensity dependent conversion efficiency and pulse shape variations were observed for the most efficient uv dye, p-terphenyl and were related to triplet-triplet adsorption processes in the dye. © 1979.