Optics and Laser Technology 99 (2018) 133–137

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Optics and Laser Technology

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Characterization and optimization of a homemade ring dye laser

H. Nanakar
Faculty of Basic Sciences, Khatam Al anbia University, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Objectives: The characteristics of dye laser such as purity, concentration and dye solvent velocity have
Received 11 December 2016 significant effects on the output power of laser. The main objective was to investigate the effects of
Received in revised form 2 May 2017 the dye solvent velocity on the laser output power.
Accepted 21 August 2017
Methods/Statistical analysis: A homemade ring dye laser (Rhodamine 6G) was used and the liquid dye was
Available online 14 September 2017
injected by a liquid jet and pumped by beam of a 6 W argon ion laser (k = 488 nm). By using mechanical
pumping, the liquid pressure was controlled and different velocities were selected.
Keywords:
Findings: It was observed that by increasing the pressure, the output power of dye laser, was increased
Homemade ring dye laser
Dye laser
initially and then in a certain pressure variation region (0.65–0.69 MPa), some slight changes were
Dye solvent detected. By increasing more dye liquid pressure, the laser output was decreased considerably. The max-
Ar ion pump imum output laser power obtained in a wavelength ranges within 5702–6072 Å, was approximately
Dye jet speed 140 mW. It was seen that by increasing the pumping power, the dye laser output power was increased.
Frequency tuning blade Moreover, for each specific wavelength, there was a threshold power (in pumping laser) for dye laser
emission in order to be initiated. For example for the laser emission at 5763 Å and 5990 Å, the minimum
pumping laser powers are ~4.1 and 5.2 W, respectively. Dye solvent velocity in output power of dye laser
is not appropriately discussed in previous studies, so it can be stated that in the current study, it was car-
ried out with different conditions.
Application/Improvements: Applying suitable dye solvent velocity is one of the important issues in design-
ing ring dye laser that has been correctly discussed and utilized in the current study.
Ó 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction
The CW dye laser is a well known tool of optical science which
plays a major role as a source of tunable radiation in the visible and
near-visible regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. The dye laser
has many unique features from which broad tunability, single
mode operation and the potential for extremely high resolution
can be mentioned as the typical advantages of using this family
of lasers [1,2]. Such specific characteristics have made it as a coher-
ent light of source applicable for different applications in industry,
medicine and scientific researches [3–6]. It has been almost more
than four decades that the dye lasers have been studied and a large
number of dye-laser have been developed [7–11]. Particularly,
there have been some reports on studying CW dye lasers
[5,12–14]. Dye lasers typically have an active medium of liquid
dye, which are optically pumped by flash lamps or by using other
lasers [1–3]. In dye laser the active medium material is circulated
by a mechanical pump in a closed path which circulates the dye
fluid by two methods: (i) in a closed circulated cell with connected
E-mail address: h_nanakar2006@yahoo.com
pipelines, (ii) by means of a dye jet. The employment of dye jet [15]
and following its developments during last three decades (e.g. see
reference [16]) have had significant contributions to the success
and applicability of the dye lasers. As dye jets provide rapid flow
rates, therefore much higher output powers can be achieved with
dye jets, rather than simple cells. However, in some cases, solid
dye lasers have been used instead of liquid ones [17,18]. In this
type of dye lasers, the jet or cell is not involved to the laser struc-
ture. In solid dye lasers, some other features such as the effect of
impurity in active medium have been investigated [17,18].
In liquid dye laser, by choosing the type of dye solvent and suit-
able design of dye active medium in the cavity, it is possible to cre-
ate coherent radiation in a specific spectral range of the visible
region [2]. There are considerable number of dye solvents which
almost covering the visible spectrum [1,3,12,19]. It must be noted
that by using suitable optical elements the output radiation can be
tuned consistently in a specific wavelength with a narrow line
shape spectrum [1–4].
There have been many reports to improve the performance of
the laser output [14,20]. Runge et al. made important develop-
ments which enhanced the performance of the dye laser [15]. They

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.optlastec.2017.08.023
0030-3992/Ó 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
134 H. Nanakar / Optics and Laser Technology 99 (2018) 133–137

modified the jet-stream dye circulation system, which provided Table 1

more reliable and high power operation. In parallel with this Laser mirrors characteristics.

achievement, the spectral resolving powers of these lasers were
also enhanced by developing appropriate frequency stabilization
techniques (e.g. see [14,20]).
Using ring resonators, traveling wave dye lasers were developed
and extensively used. In these type of lasers both the spectral char-
acteristics and the power output from the CW dye lasers were
improved [21,22]. The incorporation of computer control has pro-
vided automatic long-range tuning and enhanced data-collection
capabilities in development of dye lasers [23,24].
Laser characterization and optimization of dye lasers cavities
have always been very important for having the best performance
of the laser operation. In laser characterization, determination of
laser parameters such as radiation spectrum, output power, its effi-
ciency and stability are of great importance. In dye lasers, the spec-
ification of dye solvent (concentration and purity), its fluid
characteristics (such as fluid velocity), are also very important as
they can significantly affect the laser efficiency. The pumping laser
characteristics are also important in dye laser operation efficiency
[25].
There are many reports on characterizing the varieties of dye
lasers (e.g. see [4,16,17]). Albeit, looking in showing there is no
report to show extensive investigation on characterizing the ring
dye laser.
In this paper, a homemade ring dye laser was characterized by
extensive investigations. The ring dye laser, operated by Rho-
damine 6G as the laser active medium, is optically pumped by an
argon ion laser. The dye laser is characterized by measuring the
output power, in various optical spectrum regions, versus the dye
liquid pressure, and then by pumping the laser power. The results
are pointed out briefly in terms of a fundamental physical theory.
2. LASER description and its diagnostics
The homemade laser was a ring dye laser (Rhodamine 6G), opti-
cally pumped by an argon ion laser (Melles Griot wave-
length = 488 nm). Fig. 1 shows the schematic view of the laser
and its components.
Curvature Outer diameter Thickness of mirror
(mm) (mm) in the center (mm)
M1 60.0 6.0 6.0
M2 60.0 8.0 2.0
M3 212.0 15.0 6.0
M4 200 15.0 6.0
Mp 50.0 8.0 6.0
The laser resonator consists of 4 mirrors, M1, M2, M3, and M4.
The MP mirror was used for reflecting and focusing the pumping
laser (argon ion laser) on the liquid jet. Some characteristics of
these mirrors are listed in Table 1.
The active environment was the dye solvent Rhodamine 6G
which was flowed inside the resonator by a mechanical pump
and a small nuzzle. The mechanical pump was used to control
the velocity or the pressure of the liquid dye in the optical pump-
ing area. The nuzzle had a rectangular cross section
(3 mm
0.4 mm) and made a fluid sheet at an appropriate location
inside the resonator (Fig. 1). An appropriate pipe at the opposite
side of the jet exit could collect the high speed liquid flow in order
to return it to the reservoir for circulation.
The speed of the dye fluid could be controlled by the mechanical
pump. It is worth mentioning that the speed of the dye fluid was
linearly related to the pressure provided by the mechanical pump.
A typical fluid speed of 18 m/s (when the mechanical pump oper-
ated at a pressure of 0.65 MPa) could be provided by a nuzzle at the
jet position. The fluid speed could be precisely tuned by the
mechanical pump pressure.
The argon ion laser was operated by a maximum power of 6 W.
The pumping beam was reflected and focused by mirror MP on the
surface of the liquid jet at Brewster angle. The pumping beam spot
size on the jet surface was 1 mm in diameter.
The dye fluid was made of Rhodamine 6G powder (Merck) and
pure methyl alcohol solvent (99.9%). The density of the dye fluid
was controlled by the amount of the solvent. In this experiment,
the optimum condition for the dye solvent density, was deter-
mined by try and error and the dye fluid was produced by solving
1 g of Rhodamine 6G powder in 50 mL methyl alcohol and then the
rest of the solvent was combined with ethylene glycols (99.9%) to

Fig. 1. A schematic view of the ring dye laser and its optical components.
 H. Nanakar / Optics and Laser Technology 99 (2018) 133–137
reach the total volume of 1 liter. An optical diode was used for rec-
tifying the radiation and creating a traveling wave. An optical eta-
lon component was also used to control the output beam
wavelength. The output beam wavelength could be varied and
tuned by precise rotating of the optical etalon (frequency tuning
blade).
A power meter, manufactured by Coherent company, was uti-
lized for measuring the laser power, and a spectrophotometer
(with a resolving wavelength of 0.1 nm) was employed for moni-
toring the output wavelength.
3. Laser operation and characterization
3.1. The output spectrum
The laser spectrum specifications such as frequency or wave-
length of the laser were determined by using frequency tuning
blade by its continuous changes. The argon ion laser was operating
at a fixed power of 6 W during the measurements. The mechanical
pump pressure was also kept at 0.67 MPa during the measure-
ments. Such circumstances were considered almost as the opti-
mized condition for laser operation. The experimentally obtained
results are depicted in Fig. 2.
In the light of Fig. 2, it can be easily revealed that the laser could
be operated for the wavelength ranges within 5702–6072 Å. The
maximum output laser power was approximately 140 mW at the
wavelength of 5767 Å. However, the laser could be operated within
20% of its maximum power with a wavelength of 5780 ± 130 Å.
3.2. The dependency of the output power on the pumping laser power
One of the important features of the dye lasers is their effi-
ciency, defined as the ratio of the output power to the pumping
power. However, depending on the way the power is considered,
different definitions may be offered for determining the efficiency.
For example the efficiency can be considered as the ratio of the
output power to the loaded input power and pinpointed by the
liquid dye surface reflection and other possible losses. In a
more practical way, the efficiency can be evaluated by simply
determining the ratio of the output power versus the total input
pumping power. For this purpose, the dye laser output power
and the pumping laser power were measured simultaneously.
150
140
130
120
110
100
Output Power(mW)
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
5650 5700 5750
Fig. 2. Dye laser output spectrum operated with a fixed argon ion laser with a power of 6 W and with a dye solvent fluid pumping pressure of 0.67 MPa.
135
The measurements were performed for three different laser wave-
lengths (5763, 5929, and 5990 Å), while a fixed speed was consid-
ered for the dye fluid. The mechanical pump provided a pumping
pressure of 0.67 MPa for the dye fluid, during the laser operation.
The results of these measurements are presented in Fig. 3.
It can be seen that by increasing the pumping power, the dye
laser output power increases. Also, for each specific wavelength,
there is a threshold power (in pumping laser) for the dye laser
emission in order to be initiated. For example for the laser emission
at 5763 Å and 5990 Å, the minimum pumping laser powers are
4.1 and 5.2 W, respectively. It can be read up from Fig. 2 that
the average of laser efficiency from threshold power values of Ar
laser up to 6 W Ar laser power for the three wavelengths of
5763, 5929 and 5990 Å are 3.3%, 4.8% and 5.5%, respectively. It
must be noted that the dye laser power, emitting at a certain wave-
length, can be saturated if the pumping power exceeds a specific
value [26]. However, in our experiment, the pumping power was
not high enough to saturate the dye laser output power.
3.3. The effect of dye jet speed (mechanical pump pressure)
Fig. 4 shows the dye laser output power for four different wave-
lengths, versus the mechanical pressure of the dye liquid. We can
see that the laser can be operated by mechanical pump pressure
within a range of 0.62–0.71 MPa. This pressure range corresponds
to the dye fluid speed range of 17.1–19.6 m/s. The dye laser power
increases with the mechanical pressure, reaches an almost con-
stant value and then starts to decrease at higher pressures. Fig. 4
shows that the laser can be operated in relatively good condition
with the pressure in the ranges of 0.65–0.69 MPa. However, the
power can vary 10% within this pressure range. The significant
variations of the laser power (within the range of 0.62–0.71 MPa)
can be interpreted as follows.
Basically, the efficiency of the dye lasers can be decreased by
two main mechanisms: The first one is the breakdown of the dye
molecules caused by the pumping laser photons. This effect is neg-
ligible in our experiment, as the Ar ion laser power is not very high
in our laser system. The triplet state (T1) absorption of a dye mole-
cule can also reduce or cancel the laser gain (produced by singlet
populations). Such conditions can be significant if the singlet pop-
ulation (S1) is transferred considerably to the triplet state T1
[2,20].
5800 5850 5900 5950 6000 6050 6100
wavelength(Angstrom)
136 H. Nanakar / Optics and Laser Technology 99 (2018) 133–137
Fig. 3. The dye laser output power versus Ar ion laser power for three different wavelengths of 5763, 5929 and 5990 Å. The mechanical pump provided the pumping pressure
of 0.67 MPa for the dye fluid during the laser operation.
Fig. 4. Dye laser output power as a function of the dye fluid pressure for laser
operating at wavelengths of 5744, 5763, 5778, and 5803 Å. (Argon ion laser power
was set to 6 W.)
Fig. 5. Schematic energy diagram of the singlet and triplet bands in dye lasers and
the transitions involved in laser operation.
Fig. 5 shows the singlet and triplet bands and the associated
transitions diagram for a typical dye molecule. Practically, the
speed of the dye jet is an important factor for determining the effi-
ciency of the laser. When the liquid pressure is increased, the dye
jet speed increases. When the dye jet is exposed to the Ar ion laser
beam, the dye molecules are optically pumped (excitation).
The time for the excited molecules to be de-excited (decay tran-
sitions and lasing) is quite short (‘‘B” to ‘‘a” transition 5
105
sec). However, the transition time from ‘‘S” to ‘‘T” is relatively long
(‘‘B” to ‘‘T” 5 s). In addition, all molecules in band ‘‘T1” can be
excited to ‘‘T2”, as the energy required for this transition is equal
to the photons of the dye laser emission. Therefore, as much as
the band ‘‘T1” is populated, the photons of dye laser emission are
internally absorbed and as a result the output power decreases.
This problem can be solved by preventing the ‘‘T1” band population
to be increased. Such condition can be provided by increasing the
speed of the dye jet which prevents the T1 to be populated by ‘‘B”
to ‘‘T”. In other words, when the dye jet speed is very slow, the gain
decreases. In this condition, the time for the dye jet to be exposed to
Ar ion laser beam is longer than 5 s, and during the dye laser tran-
sition, there would be enough time for ‘‘T1” to be populated, and
as a result the gain would starts to decrease. On the other hand, if
the dye jet speed is extremely high, the chance for ‘‘B” to ‘‘a” tran-
sition also decreases (‘‘B” to ‘‘a” transition time is 5
105 sec),
and consequently the laser gain starts to decrease.
Therefore, there is a range of speed for the dye jet in which the
dye laser can be operated in its optimum condition. This interpre-
tation can be confirmed quantitatively. As mentioned in the previ-
ous section, the spot size of Ar ion laser beam at the jet surface is
1 mm in diameter. It was also mentioned that the fluid speed of
18 m/s would be provided by nuzzle in the jet position when the
mechanical pump operated at a pressure of 0.65 MPa. At this speci-
fic speed, the dye molecules (inside the cylinder with diameter of d
1 mm) can be irradiated with Ar ion laser beam within a time
scale of Dt ¼ d=v ¼ 1=18; 000 ¼ 5
105 sec. This time scale is at
the order of ‘‘B” to ‘‘a” transition time. Therefore, the dye jet with
high or low speed may be lacking in time consequently, it can be
ignored in the optimum lasing conditions. Small differences of
the gain for different wavelengths (5744, 5763, 5778, and 5803
Å) can be detected thanks to the results illustrated in Fig. 2. Clearly,
Fig. 2 shows that the dye laser gains for the mentioned four
 H. Nanakar / Optics and Laser Technology 99 (2018) 133–137
Fig. 6. Dye laser output power (at wavelength of 5763 Å) versus the mechanical
pump pressure. The laser is optically pumped by Argon ion laser under 5 different
power conditions.
160
140
Dye laser output power (mWatt)
120
100
80
60
40
20
0 [8] F.J. Duarte, Multiple-prism Littrow and grazing- incidence pulsed CO2 lasers,
4.9 5 5.1 5.2
Argon ion laser power(Watt)
Fig. 7. Dye laser output power (operating at a wavelength of 5763 Å) versus Argon
ion laser power. The mechanical pump pressure for dye jet fluid is 0.67 MPa.
wavelengths are slightly different. According to Fig. 4, the dye laser
can be operated at a maximum power when the mechanical pump
works at a pressure of 0.67 MPa.
The characterization of the laser was determined to observe the
influence of pumping laser power, and the dye jet speed. Fig. 6
shows the effect of both Ar ion laser power and the dye jet pressure
when laser operates at a wavelength of 5763 Å. According to this
figure, the laser can be operated within the broader mechanical
pump pressure range if the Ar ion power increases.
These results show that the pumping laser power not only can
significantly change the output power, but also is opposite to
restrict the dye laser to be operated in the lower pressure range.
For example, if the pumping laser power is 6 W, the dye laser can
be operated in the optimum pressure range of 0.65–0.7 MPa, while
when the pumping laser power is set to 4.9 W, the optimum pres-
sure range is 0.66–0.68 MPa. Such variations are due to the influ-
ence of both pumping laser power and dye jet speed in laser gain.
In order to see the influence of the Ar ion power on the output
power, the output power (operating at wavelength of 5763 Å and
pressure of 0.67 MPa) versus the pumping power is presented in
Fig. 7.
This result shows that the output power increases dramatically
with the growth of the pumping laser power, aligned with the
condition of this experiment. However, according to the theoretical
principles, it is expected that the dye laser power reaches a
137
saturation limit if further increase of the pumping laser power
can be provided. Due to the available Argon ion laser power limita-
tion, this effect could not be observed in our experiment. The errors
in Figs. 2–4, 6 and 7 are statistical and their average values are cal-
culated 5 percent.
4. Conclusion
Characteristics of the ring dye laser were investigated and the
operating conditions of the laser were optimized. The results show
that the laser emission is within the spectral range of 5702–6072 Å
in its best condition at the maximum output power of 140 mW
(at a wavelength of 5767 Å). According to our experimental results,
the laser can be operated in a bandwidth of about 120 Å. The
results showed that the laser operation is sensitive to the dye jet
speed. In the long run, that the dye laser can be operated within
a limited range of the fluid pressure. These results can be inter-
preted by the physical principle of the singlet and triplet bands
in the dye lasers. The optimum conditions for the laser operation
were found in this investigation.
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