CVL-pumped dye laser for spectroscopic application

A spectroscopic dye laser system-pumped by a Copper Vapor Laser (CVL)-has been built and optimized for different dye solutions operating in the spectral range from 530 to 890 nm. Conversion efficiencies up to 40% were reached in broad band operation, 24% with a prism expander grating cavity, and 20% in grazing incidence configuration, which operated at typical band widths of 3 GHz. Second harmonic generation (SHG) of the dye laser output produced tunable uv-radiation between 260 and 408 nm at conversion efficiencies 5%. Fundamental and SHG output were used for resonant ionization experiments in molecular beams.