High efficiency dye laser with low fluorescence yield pyrromethene dyes: experimental and theoretical studies

A combined experimental and theoretical study of the photo-physical, laser properties and molecular structures of three relatively recent Pyrromethene (PM) class dyes, PM597, PM580 and PM567, have been carried out. Laser characteristics of these three PM dyes were compared with three other widely us...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied physics. B, Lasers and optics Lasers and optics, 2011-06, Vol.103 (4), p.917-924
Main Authors: Jagtap, K. K., Maity, D. K., Ray, A. K., Dasgupta, K., Ghosh, S. K.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Decay rate
Density functional theory
Dye lasers
Dyes
Engineering
Excitation
Fluorescence
Lasers
Optical Devices
Optics
Photonics
Physical Chemistry
Physics
Physics and Astronomy
Quantum Optics
Tuning
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:A combined experimental and theoretical study of the photo-physical, laser properties and molecular structures of three relatively recent Pyrromethene (PM) class dyes, PM597, PM580 and PM567, have been carried out. Laser characteristics of these three PM dyes were compared with three other widely used Rhodamine (RH) class dyes, RH6G, RHB and KRS, using a narrow-band dye laser setup, transversely pumped by the second harmonic (532 nm) of a Q-switched Nd-YAG laser. In addition to generating comparative data of these dyes for optimal use in dye lasers, we observed that unlike the RH dyes, the PM dyes show high efficiencies and wide tunability, despite the low fluorescence yield and high rate of non-radiative decay. Particularly, PM597 dye, in spite of a very low quantum yield of fluorescence (Φ=0.42), high non-radiative decay rate, and a large distortion from planarity in its excited state, when used in a laser cavity it exhibited similar laser efficiency and a beneficially wider tuning curve in comparison to other two PM dyes. Theoretical studies were carried out applying density functional theory and time-dependent density functional theory (DFT/TDDFT) to obtain new information on ground and the first excited state geometrical parameters of the PM dyes. Good correlation between calculated molecular properties and experimental results was observed for the evolution of the longest wavelength absorption maximum.
ISSN:0946-2171
1432-0649
DOI:10.1007/s00340-010-4287-0