Energy scaling and beam quality studies of a zigzag solid-stateplastic dye laser

Studies of the energy scaling and beam quality improvement of a long-pulse laser pumped solid-state dye laser using a unique new zigzag optical configuration are presented. A beam quality of 1.7 XDL was measured using an unstable optical cavity at a laser output of 200 mJ. Single pulse energies as high as 1 J have been achieved. The laser has been operated at 5 Hz with an average output of about 250 mJ for runs up to 200 pulses