Cascaded dye laser cavities

摘要

A method and apparatus for producing stable and reproducible ultra-short lasing radiation pulses are disclosed. The duration of incoming pumping pulses for the dye laser arrangement is reduced in stages to produce the ultra-short pulses. A first dye laser cavity of a series of at least two cascaded dye laser cavities is excited with lasing radiation pulses. The lasing radiation pulses emerging from each dye laser cavity of the series are directed into the next successive dye laser cavity of the series. The photon cavity lifetime of each dye laser cavity of the series is sufficient for a given duration of the incoming pumping pulses to produce the ultra-short pulses emerging from the final dye laser cavity of the series. The maximum photon cavity lifetime of each dye laser cavity of the series is selected to thereby reduce in stages the duration of the incoming pumping pulses. This reduction yields from the final dye laser cavity of the series the ultra-short lasing radiation pulses.