Feasibility studies of CW operation of a transverse flow liquid laser system

In order to test the possibility of operating the NA(3+):POCl3:ZRCl4 liquid laser material as a continuous wave (CW) laser under xenon arc lamp excitation, a liquid laser cell was constructed and tested. The liquid was made to flow transverse to the axis of the optical cavity. The large temperature coefficient for the index of refraction and small value for the heat capacity per unit volume of the laser liquid combined to make the optical homogeneity of the liquid very sensitive to temperature changes. It was concluded that CW operation of the liquid laser with arc lamp excitation will be extremely difficult to achieve.