Operation of an infrared dye laser synchronously pumped by a mode-locked CW Nd:YAG laser

Infrared dyes emitting around 1.3 μm exhibit fluorescence lifetimes τflof only ∼ 10 ps which are shorter than the duration of the pump pulses ( ps). This fact results in performance characteristics different from those of visible dye lasers where the fluorescence lifetime is longer than tp. The pulse properties of IR dye lasers are investigated for various bandwidth-limiting elements. The generation of nearly transform-limited dye laser pulses as short as 6 ps-assuming a Gaussian temporal shape-is demonstrated.