Tunable polymer dye laser pumped by two 513 nm diodes

We demonstrate a tunable solid-state polymer dye laser with quasi-longitudinal pumping by two green (lambda = 513 nm) laser diodes. Tuning curves with a maximum efficiency of 13% were attained, using a plate of crystalline quartz (Lyot filter) for wavelength selection. In a three-mirror cavity with partial compensation of astigmatism, the total tuning range was 62 nm (from 545 nm to 607 nm) for pyrromethene dyes: PM567, PM580 and PM597. The best results were achieved with active elements based on Pyrromethene 580 laser dye in a mixture of polyvinyl butyral or a copolymer of butylmethacrylate and methacrylic acid (ratio 9:1) with the addition of 30% dibutylsebacinate as a plasticizer.