Studies of the spectroscopic behavior of Cr+3:LiCAF pumped by a solid-state dye laser

In this work we present spectroscopic studies of a laser system which combines transition metal-doped crystal pumped by a dye-doped solid-state laser. A dye-doped solid state laser emitting at similar to 610 nm was chosen to allow a better fit into the absorption peak of the LiCAF crystal, peaking at similar to 625 nm, in order to increase the efficiency of the light absorption of the Cr+3 ions. The pump laser is a dye-doped solid state laser Red Perylimide Dye (RPD)-doped in a composite-glass. This lasing maximum is at similar to 608 nm with a threshold energy of similar to 0.3 mJ/pulse, and a lasing slope efficiency of similar to 2.5% under excitation of 532 nm Nd:YAG laser With the excitation of dye-doped solid state laser the Cr+3:LiCAF emission centered at similar to 740 nm (due to the T-4(2) --> (4)A(2) transition) with lifetime of 170 mu s and emission cross-section, sigma(f), of 1.4 x 10(-20) cm(-2). The observed data allow us to plan a tunable Cr-crystal laser pumped by a solid-state dye laser. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.