Technique for imaging single UV laser pulses

An inexpensive fluorescent imaging system is developed which uses a video camera and a VCR to record the decay of fluorescence with time. The successive images on the VCR decrease in intensity as the fluorescence decays, allowing the optimum exposure to be obtained. The laser source employed was a 320-nm beam from a doubled dye laser with a 1-cm diameter and an energy of about 10-20 mJ in a pulse of 300-ns length. The effective dynamic range of over 1000 and the measured spatial resolution of better than 25 microns compare favorably to CCD arrays. The maximum power is limited at 1 MW/sq cm by damage to the fluorescent paint. (R.R.)