Ultraviolet amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) laser
spikes are demonstrated for the phenyloxazoles. The
principal laser spikes are at 333 nm for 2-phenylbenzoxazole (PBO) and
at 374 nm for 2,5-diphenyloxazole
(PPO), with two laser spikes at 365 and 385 nm for
2-(1-naphthyl)-5-phenyl-1,3,4-oxadiazole (α-NPD), all
in hydrocarbon solution at 298 K. The extended symmetrical
molecule 1,4-bis(4-methyl-5-phenyloxazol-2-yl)benzene (DPOPOP) has a laser spike at 420 nm. The lasing
action is stable with time for stirred hydrocarbon
solutions deoxygenated by Ar bubbling. Gain coefficients up to 10
cm-1 have been observed in the
cases
cited. It is demonstrated that the phenyloxazoles can be
categorized by the ASE laser spike spectroscopy
observed. In the simple case, ASE spike appears at the position of
the strongest fluorescence vibronic peak.
Phenyloxazoles with asymmetric substitution (PPO, α-NPD) exhibit
dual laser spikes, with dominance of
that laser spike corresponding to a vibronic band of secondary
intensity. This highly anomalous behavior is
attributed to two normal mode segments of the electronic systems, with
solitonic transfer of vibrational distortion
between the segments driven by entropic and energetic preference.
It is demonstrated that ASE laser
spectroscopy offers excitation dynamics information not revealed in
stationary state spectroscopy.