Dye lasers
AssigneeThe Secretary of State for Defence in Her Britannic Majesty's Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
InventorsRichard C. Hollins, David L. Jordan
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A dye laser capable of lasing at a plurality of wavelengths simultaneously, e.g. three, comprises a corresponding plurality of transparent containers 4, 5, 6 located between a partially-reflecting mirror 1 and a tiltably adjustable retroreflecting diffraction grating 2 with the containers transversely staggered. The staggered ends of the containers are irradiated by a shallow beam 9 from a pumping laser 7 and contain separate dye solutions whereof the emission spectra increase in wavelength from container to container starting from that container nearest the pumping laser. There are thus formed three parallel cavities which can lase simultaneously, tuned by the grating 2 operating in three different diffraction orders.
Claims19
A dye laser comprising a cavity including container means for containing a plurality of separate dye solutions located between a semi-transparent reflector and a retroreflective diffracting means;
- said container means having a compartment for each dye solution and said compartments having transparent portions extending transversely relative to a line between said reflector and said diffracting means, said portions being staggered in said transverse direction;
- and pumping laser means arranged to simultaneously irradiate all said portions with a shallow beam directed in a transverse direction;
- whereby when said compartments contain separate dye solutions whereof the emission spectra increase in wavelength from compartment to compartment starting from that compartment whose said transparent portion is nearest the pumping laser, each said portion intercepted by the beam can provide dye-laser action corresponding to its contained dye solution without absorption of its emitted spectrum by a solution whose emission spectrum is of longer wavelength.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.