Efficient and stable operation of an Ar+-pumped continuous-wave ring laser from 505–560 nm using a coumarin laser dye

A coumarin laser dye has been found to produce efficiencies and lifetimes comparable to those of the rhodamines. Coumarin 521 (coumarin 334) produces up to 400 mW of single frequency light (frequency width <1 MHz) at 520 nm in a ring laser when excited with 2.4 W of 457.9 nm light from an Ar+ ion laser. Operation with a 488 nm pump shows slightly lower efficiency. Dye lifetime to 75% full power has exceeded 1000 W h over a period of several months. Methanol and ethylene glycol are the only solvents required. This dye operates in a portion of the tuning range of a continuous-wave ring dye laser which is otherwise extremely difficult to access using an argon ion laser as the pump source. Used in conjunction with an external buildup cavity, 8–12 mW of 258 nm light is reliably produced for weeks at a time.