Abstract
The effective stimulated emission cross-section spectra of a para-phenylene-vinylene polymer and of two paraphenylene- ethynylene polymers are determined by a fluorescence amplification technique. For these luminescent polymers laser action has been achieved in solution. The effective stimulated emission cross-section spectra are found to be small compared to the stimulated emission cross-section spectra calculated from fluorescence quantum distribution and fluorescence lifetime measurements. The laser excitation of the polymer solutions seems to form lattice relaxed exciton conformations extending over a few monomer units which are thought to be responsible for upper-to-lower-state stimulated emission and lower-to-upper-state (excited-state) absorption.