UV Generation of 25 mJ/pulse at 289 nm for Ozone Lidar

Our paper describes a technique for generating tunable UV laser radiation between 250-300 nm capable of energies up to 30-5O mJ/pulse. The tunability of this source is attractive for selecting ozone absorption cross sections which are optimal for ozone DIAL detection throughout the troposphere. A Nd:YAG laser is used to pump a pulsed titanium sapphire laser which is then frequency tripled into the UV. Titanium sapphire (TiS) lases robustly between 750-900 nm. In initial experiments we have converted 110 mJ of 867 nm from a TiS laser into 28 mJ at 289 nm. The energy conversion efficiency was 62% for doubling into 433 nm and 25% into 289 nm.