Photophysical characterization of pyrromethene dyes in solid matrices of acrylic copolymers

Some photophysical parameters of the pyrromethene laser dye PM567 and of two newly synthesized pyrromethene laser dyes, P5Ac and P10Ac, in solid matrices of different acrylic copolymers and in corresponding mimetic liquid solutions are determined, They include absorption cross-section and stimulated emission cross-section spectra, fluorescence quantum distributions, fluorescence quantum yields, and fluorescence lifetimes. The saturable absorption behaviour due to picosecond laser pulse excitation is studied. The photodegradation under cw laser excitation and under pulsed picosecond pulse excitation is investigated. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.