Mercury lamp pumping of dye laser?
A mercury lamp probably emits quite a bit at 365 nm, which is a reasonable wavelength for common dyes; it also has a nice strong emission line at 546.1 nm in the green, which probably pumps R6G, and another strong emission line at 435.8 nm or so in the indigo, which probably pumps several handy dyes; I have one here that has a nice thick wall, so pulses of moderate energy probably won’t blow it up; and the ends are at least somewhat insulated, so this one probably won’t arc over if the active region is wrapped in aluminum foil to couple the light into the dye cell. I think it’s a dandy idea, and if someone else doesn’t try it I probably will. One thing: I’d expect considerable afterglow at some wavelengths, and I’m not 100% sure which ones are most likely to display the effect. Perhaps we get to find out. • Efficiency of dye lasers Someone said, “I am beginning to understand ‘why’ dye lasers are less efficient than common solid state lasers like ruby.” Actually, ruby is awful. Besides,
