Optics Letters 2009-12-15

Optical gain in DNA-DCM for lasing in photonic materials.

Marco Leonetti, Riccardo Sapienza, Marta Ibisate, Claudio Conti, Cefe López

Index: Optics Letters 34(24) , 3764-6, (2009)

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Abstract

We present a detailed study of the gain length in an active medium obtained by doping of DNA strands with 4-(dicyanomethylene)-2-methyl-6-(4-dimethylaminostyryl)-4H-pyran dye molecules. The superior thermal stability of the composite and its low quenching permit one to obtain an optical gain coefficient larger than 300 cm(-1). We also demonstrate that such an active material is feasible for the infiltration into photonic nanostructures, allowing one to obtain fluorescent photonic crystals and promising lasing properties.