Efficient, broadly tunable deep UV and mid-IR solid-state laser source

Summary form only given. We report for the first time a solid-state laser system based on a novel alexandrite laser/alexandrite-laser-pumped LiF:F/sup 2+/ color-center laser (CCL), where the tuning range is further extended to the deep UV and mid-IR spectral ranges. The described system exploits the best features of both the high gain, "dye-like" CCL and the high energy storage alexandrite laser. Due to a high gain and short CCL oscillation built-up time the described system exhibits virtually no temporal delay between pump and output pulses for the entire range of CCL tunability. This spatially and temporally overlapped dual-wavelength output is ideal for effective sum- and difference frequency generation (SFG and DFG).