Influence of the solvent on the output parameters of a cw dye laser

A cw rhodamine 6G laser with a wide-band emission spectrum was constructed. The output power was increased considerably by the use of a mixture of ethyl alcohol and water as the solvent. When the composition of the solvent was optimal, the output power was 70 mW for a pumping power of 2.2 W, which corresponded to an efficiency of 3%. The spectrum of the wide-band emission was recorded and some of its characteristic features were analyzed.