Multiwavelength distributed feedback laser on jelly-like dye-doped gelatin

Simultaneous generation of several wavelengths in a steady-state distributed feedback (DFB) laser on jelly-like dyedoped gelatin is reported. It is shown that such lasing regime of the device is possible when a set of the stationary spatial gratings of different periods is prerecorded in the same volume of its active medium. Holographic characteristics of the employed photosensitive medium have been studied. The 2nd harmonic radiation (λ = 532 nm) of the nanosecond (τ0.5 ≈ 17 ns) YAG:Nd laser was used for recording the gratings. The obtained holograms were readout with the help of a single-mode He-Ne laser radiation. Both picosecond and nanosecond YAG:Nd lasers were used for DFB laser excitation. The stable multiwavelength operation of a DFB laser at two and three narrow spectral lines simultaneously was obtained. The minimum and maximum clearance between simultaneously emitted spectral lines was measured to be ~ 0.09 and ~25 nm, respectively, at spectral width of separate lines of ~ 0.01 nm.© (2007) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.