Pumping dye lasers by optical fibers: a simple and efficient device

The performance of a pulsed dye laser pumped through optical fibers by the second harmonic of a Nd:YAG laser is systematically studied by using a simple design. A single fiber (1-mm core) readily gives dye pulse energies in the millijoule per pulse range, with an efficiency of as much as 50% using improvable optics. Pulse time lengthening and delayed two-pulse operation are studied by using a dual-fiber device.