High-gain double-pass pulsed dye amplifiers for laser guide stars

The design issues for a scaleable sodium laser guide star are discussed involving cw frequency lock of a dye laser using polarization spectroscopy, pulse multiplexing techniques and high power pulsed dye amplifiers. A numerical model and results from preliminary measurements on a double-pass dye amplifier are presented. The possible integration of an unsaturated, high gain pre-amplifier, and a saturated, low gain power amplifier into a single dye amplifier cell are investigated for pulsed amplification of a cw master oscillator.