Random lasing based on abalone shell

Abstract

Here we reported on a tunable and stable random laser based on the abalone shell. The groove structure on the inner surface of abalone shell can support coherent random lasing when covered with a layer of dye doped film. By changing the pump position, the emission spectrum wavelength can be tuned by 12.10 nm due to the random distribution of the groove structure on the inner surface of abalone shell. The random laser can also be tuned by 13.85 nm using different concentrations of dye solutions. Furthermore, several different kinds of dyes were used to extent the emission wavelength range of the random laser. The normalized scattering efficiency spectrum confirms the experimental results. The excellent mechanical properties of the abalone shell endow the random laser with good stability. The random laser has potential applications in speckle-free imaging and probing nanoscale structural alterations.