Lasing action and photodegradation of Disperse Orange 11 dye in liquid solution

We report optically pumped lasing action near 650 nm of 1-amino-2-methylanthraquinone (known as Disperse Orange 11 or DO11) in the common laser dye solvents dimethylformamide and dimethylsulfoxide. Amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) was studied under second-harmonic Nd:YAG laser excitation in a transverse pumping configuration. ASE conversion efficiency is found to be comparable to other laser dyes. Photodegradation of dye solution in a micro-cuvette was investigated. While DO11 in poly(methyl methacrylate) polymer shows reversible photodegradation, in liquid solution, degradation is permanent. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.