High Average Power Frequency Doubling For Dye Laser Pumping

The application of high average power frequency doubling for dye laser pumping is discussed. The desirable features of using the frequency doubled output of a Nd:YAG laser for pumping dye lasers are described and this technique is compared with flash lamp pumping. Two techniques to overcome the deleterious thermal effects of high average power on the FD crystal are described. These are electro-optical tuning (EOT), which compensates for thermal loading, and beam shaping, which reduces thermal gradients. Results of EOT experiments are presented. The use of beam shaping to obtain reasonably uniform phase-matching across the beam-crystal interface, previously unattainable with high average power, is explained.