GAIN STUDIES OF LD490 DYE DOPED POLYMER LASER UNDER THIRD HARMONIC Nd : YAG LASER EXCITATION

Solid state dye doped polymer is an attractive alternative to the conventional liquid dye solution. In this paper, the laser characteristics of LD490 (LD490) doped polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) rods modified with dioxane are studied under third harmonic Nd : YAG laser excitation in a transverse pump configuration and the variation of gain coefficient of the dye in solid medium for different pump powers is studied. The photohleaching of dye molecule in polymer medium under third harmonic Nd : YAG laser excition is also studied for various pump energy.