Stimulated LIF studied using pulsed digital holography and modelling

A frequency tripled Q-switched Nd-YAG laser (wavelength 355 nm, pulse duration 12 ns) has been used to pump Coumarin 153 dye solved in ethanol. The laser induced fluorescence (LIF) spectrum has been recorded using a spectrometer at different dye concentrations. The frequency doubled 532 nm beam from the same laser is used as a probe beam to pass through the excited volume of the dye. Because of stimulated emission an increase of the probe (532 nm) beam energy is recorded and a reduction of the spontaneous fluorescence spectrum intensity is observed. A model was developed that approaches the trend of the gain as a function of the probe beam energy at low dye concentrations (less than 0.08 g/L). The stimulated LIF is further recorded using digital holography. Digital holograms were recorded for different dye concentrations using collimated laser light (532 nm) passed through the dye volume. Two holograms without and with the UV laser beam were recorded. Intensity maps were calculated from the recorded digital holograms and are used to calculate the gain of the green laser beam due to the stimulated fluorescence emission which is coupled to the dye concentration. The gain of the coherent 532 nm beam is seen in the intensity maps and its value is about 40% for a dye concentration of 0.32 g/L and decreases with the decrease of the dye concentration. The results show that pulsed digital holography can be coupled to the stimulated LIF effect for imaging fluorescent species.