Cobra

Pulsed Dye Lasers

Spectra-Physics’ state-of-the-art pulsed dye laser systems are German engineered by our partner firm Sirah GmbH for precision, stability and reliability. At the heart of the laser system is a grazing incidence resonator designed to utilize the grating’s dispersion twice per oscillator round-trip, ensuring narrow linewidths with low ASE. An optional second grating can be added to the resonator for ultra-narrow linewidths below 0.03 cm-1 at 570 nm. The resonator allows narrow-line tuning over a broad tuning range without the need for an intra-cavity etalon or grating change, thus simplifying the measurement process without sacrificing performance.

The pulsed dye laser family includes options such as grating lift, removable cuvettes, touch screen remote control box, reversible cover, “look-up-table” or auto tracking frequency conversion units, kinematic pump mirror blocks, open source software and CAN bus communications, making these dye lasers the most versatile, technologically advanced lasers on the market.

Cobra - Entry level narrow linewidth nanosecond dye lasers

Spectra-Physics’ pulsed dye laser systems are available in three models that differ mainly in their output energies and the availability of accessories such as harmonic generation and wavelength separation. The Cobra, featuring a full range of oscillator choices and a single preamplifier stage, is designed for low energy applications from 5 to 20 mJ.

Applications

Laser induced fluorescence

Lidar and remote sensing

Combustion and atmospheric studies

Laser spectroscopy

Cavity ringdown spectroscopy

CARS

Photolysis

Cobra Dye Laser Specifications

Model	Groove Density	Grating Length	Tuning Range	Linewidth		Efficiency
Cobra-P	–	–	370–920 nm	150 pm	5 cm-1(1)	20%1

Model	Groove Density	Grating Length	Tuning Range	Linewidth		Efficiency
Cobra-G	1800 lines/mm4	60 mm	400–980 nm	3.6 pm	0.10 cm-1(1)	10%1
	2400 lines/mm4	60 mm	350–760 nm	2.7 pm	0.08 cm-1(2)	9%2
	3000 lines/mm	60 mm	350–620 nm	2.0 pm	0.06 cm-1(2)	9%2
Cobra-LG	1800 lines/mm4	90 mm	400–980 nm	2.4 pm	0.06 cm-1(1)	10%1
	2400 lines/mm4	90 mm	350–760 nm	1.8 pm	0.06 cm-1(2)	9%2
	3000 lines/mm	90 mm	350–620 nm	1.4 pm	0.05 cm-1(2)	9%2
Cobra-D	1800 lines/mm4	2 x 90 mm	410–900 nm	1.7 pm3	0.05 cm-1(1)	8%1
	2400 lines/mm4	2 x 90 mm	370–710 nm	1.2 pm3	0.04 cm-1(2)	8%2
	3000 lines/mm	2 x 90 mm	370–580 nm	1.0 pm3	0.03 cm-1(2)	8%2

Absolute Wavelength Accuracy	<15 pm (<0.5 nm, prism model)
Wavelength Resetability	<2 pm (<50 pm, prism model)
Wavelength Stability	<1.5 pm/°C (<10 pm/°C, prism model)
Divergence (typical)	1 mrad
Polarization	>98%, vertical
ASE	<0.5%
Pump Energies (grating models)	8–150 mJ @ 532 nm 8–130 mJ @ 355 nm
Pump Energies (prism models)	8–230 mJ @ 532 nm 8–230 mJ @ 355 nm

Voltage	110–230 V, single phase, 50 Hz/60 Hz
Computer	One serial port (RS 232 9-pin)
Operating System	Windows 2000 / Windows XP / Windows Vista (32 bit)

1. At 625 nm (peak DCM) pumped at 532 nm
2. At 570 nm (peak Rhodamine 6G) pumped at 532 nm
3. Exact linewidth depends weakly on wavelength; value given for 450 nm
4. 1800 lines per mm Woods Anomally occurs at 560–571 nm and 2400 lines per mm Woods Anomally occurs at 423–434 nm

Pulsed Dye Laser Optical Layout

Pulsed Dye Laser Dimensions

	A	B
Cobra	570	500