Spectrally narrow pulsed dye laser without beam expander

Abstract

We have developed a simplified version of the side-pumped pulsed dye laser which has a spectral halfwidth of 1.25 GHz and a peak power of 10 kW at 600 nm. The basic laser consists of only four components (output mirror, dye cell, diffraction grating, and tuning mirror) and is exceptionally easy to align. Since the beam expander has been eliminated, the laser cavity can be made quite compact. Under the condition of reduced gain, the laser has been operated in a single mode.