An improved Ti:Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ amplifier model is reported. Amplifier performance under various pump and probe fluence conditions is also reported. It is claimed to be in good agreement with the numerical model predictions. >

The paper presents a review of tunable vibronic solid state lasers for DIAL measurements and provides new experimental results for tunable Ti:Sapphire lasers, materials development and spectral bandwidth narrowing through injection control. The Ti:Sapphire laser materials study indicates promise for reducing undesirable absorption in the lasing region to below 1% per cm. Pulsed injection control of a Ti:Sapphire laser with a 2.5 pm narrow band pulsed dye laser and with a Ti:Sapphire laser is demonstrated with near to complete energy extraction, indicating homogeneous line broadening. The review covers the status of tunable solid state lasers in the wavelength ranges around 1.6 and 2.3 μM for DIAL measurement of important trace gases such as CH4 and CO and development needs for lasers with reduced cryogenic cooling needs. Ti:Sapphire and Alexandrite lasers are compared as lasers for DIAL measurements of H2O vapor and pressure and temperature at ≈ 720, 940, and 760 nm. The effects of laser gain on optical damage, energy extraction and amplified spontaneous emission are indicated for several tunable lasers.

Injection control of a tunable Ti:sapphire laser using a narrow-bandwidth pulsed dye laser operating at a wavelength removed from the peak of the Ti:sapphire-laser gain curve is reported. The free-running Ti:sapphire laser had broadband laser emission from 750 to 790 nm. Injection at 727 nm resulted in essentially complete energy extraction at that wavelength in a 2.5-pm bandwidth matching the injection source.

Titanium-doped sapphire (Ti:sapphire) lasers have been extensively studied since their recent introduction [1–3]. Because of their wide tuning range (≈700 to 1000 nm), Ti:sapphire lasers are candidates for remote lidar measurements of H2O vapor (≈720 and 940 nm) and pressure and temperature (≈760 nm). These measurements require efficient narrow bandwidth operation and accurate wavelength control.