A Tunable picosecond dye laser based on cavity quenching and spectro-temporal selection

The development of a tunable picosecond dye laser, based on quenching cavity (QC) in an oscillator and spectro-temporal selection (STS) before amplification, is described. A theoretical model was constructed for the calculation of temporal and spectral evolutions of dye laser emission using a series of equations representing population inversions. The pulsewidth, linewidth, and pulse energy, obtained experimentally, were 90 ps, 0.2 nm, and 10 J, respectively. The tunable range, in which a single picosecond pulse can be obtained, was expanded from 4 to 20 nm for a single dye solution by applying QC to STS. Thus, the spectral region was covered from 320 to 360 nm using two laser dyes, i.e., BM-terphenyl and BBQ. Experimental data obtained using the instrument were in reasonably good agreement with values predicted from theory. PACS 42.55.Mv; 42.60.By