High-power rhodamine 6G laser with an extended service life

A pulsed laser using a rhodamine G solution as the active medium was extensively tested over a period of three years, with the operating characteristics of the laser and the dynamics of their changes carefully recorded. The laser was pumped by a coaxial flashlamp and had an output energy of up to 8 J. With an output energy of about 5 J per pulse, the laser was able to emit 1500 pulses without dismantling and replacing the active medium. The factors responsible for the extended service life of the laser include the use of an optimum solvent (isopropyl alcohol) and a filter of porous stainless steel with pores 4 microns in diameter, a high-degree of rhodamine G purification, and the use of a glass cell to remove the ultraviolet part of the pump radiation.