Efficient laser action from two cw laser-pumped pyrromethene-BF(2) complexes.

Two new pyrromethene-BF(2) dyes, P-556 and P-567, are tested for cw laser operation. P-556 demonstrates a significant advance in the 530-620-nm region over commercially currently available dyes, where the best cw dyes in any range have peak efficiencies of the order of 35% and dyes in this range typically have less then 25%. The P-556 has a cw efficiency of 45% at the peak.