Laser action from a rhodamine 640-doped copolymer of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate and methyl methacrylate

Abstract

Rhodamine 640 has been dissolved in a copolymer of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and methyl methacrylate (MMA) 1:1 v/v and the resulting solid-state solution has been pumped with pulses of 1.7 mJ at 337 nm from a nitrogen laser. Laser action at 654 nm with energy conversion efficiency of ≈4% and lifetime of about 700 pulses at repetition rates up to 15 Hz has been demonstrated.