Spectroscopy and stimulated emission of Nd3+ in an acentric CsY2F7 host

The results of preliminary spectroscopic studies of new fluoride single-crystal CsY2F7 that is activated by Nd3+ ions are given. Direct evidence for the possibility of application of this ordered material as a laser host is given for the first time to our knowledge. Stimulated emission of Nd3+ ions on the main intermultiplet transition is obtained under both nonselective flash-lamp pumping conditions and continuous Ar ion laser pumping conditions. © 1992 Optical Society of America

Tunable room temperature laser on color centers in KMgF3

Tunable room temperature laser operation of color centers in a KMgF3 crystal has been obtained for the first time. The 15% efficiency and 710-840 nm tuning range has been achieved by the frequency doubled output of a Q-switched YAG laser. Color centers photobleaching under pump laser radiation was investigated. © 1986

Vacuum-Ultraviolet and Ultraviolet Fluorescence and Absorption Studies of Er(3+)-Doped Liluf4 Single-Crystals

Journal URL: http://apl.aip.org/apl/top.js

On the interconfigurational 4f25d-4f3 VUV and UV fluorescence features of Nd3+ in LiYF4 (YLF) single crystals under F2 laser pumping

Fluorescence spectra and kinetics of LiYF4(YLF):Nd3+ single crystals pumped by an F2 pulsed discharge molecular laser at 157 nm have been obtained in the VUV and UV regions of the spectrum between 150-300 nm. With this pumping scheme some new fluorescence peaks have been observed. The high photochemical stability of this material under the above pumping scheme suggests that it can be used as an active medium for VUV tunable laser sources. ft]1|Permanent address: Kazan State University, 18 Lenin Str., 420008 Kazan, Russian Federation. © 1992

Photodynamic nonlinear processes in UV solid-state active media and approaches to improving material laser performance

All known solid-state UV/VUV active media based on the interconfigurational 5d-4f transitions of trivalent rare earth ions in wide-band gap fluoride crystals are solarizable under intense UV/VUV pumping. Active media-specific pumping-induced color centers, on one hand, would absorb the laser radiation and reduce the laser efficiency. On the other hand they also get bleached by the pump laser radiation so that the current value of total intracavity losses is governed by dynamic equilibrium and depends on some active medium microparameters as well as the pump flux and is cavity specific. Presented here are the model of dynamic processes in a UV solarizable active medium under pumping conditions and the new technique of laser experimental data analysis for variable intracavity losses based on this model. It is shown that properly set laser experiment enables us to obtain the necessary active medium microparameters, including the pump excited state absorption and color center absorption of laser radiation cross-sections, photoelectron trapping rate by host lattice defects and their recombination rate. The results of this technique application to the laser experiment analysis for the series of Ce3+:LiYbxLu1-xF4 single crystals are presented

Spectroscopic analogy approach in selective search for new Ce3+-activated all-solid-state tunable ultraviolet laser materials

Recent progress made with Ce3+-activated materials offers numerous advantages with respect to other traditional sources of tunable ultraviolet (UV) radiation; so there is a strong incentive for further aimed searches for new Ce3+-activated materials capable of lasing with wider continuous UV tunability using all-solid-state direct UV pumping. Here we report the spectroscopic analogy approach for further aimed searches derived from the analysis of known laser materials. We also report the results of our test investigation, based on the suggested approach, where Ce3+-activated SrAlF5 is spectroscopically characterized as a promising all-solid-state tunable UV laser material which can be efficiently pumped by a quadrupled Nd laser

Crystal growth, EPR and site-selective laser spectroscopy of Gd3+ -activated LiCaALF6 single crystals

Ce3+ -activated LiCaAlF6 (LiCAF) and LiSrAlF6 (LiSAF) single crystals are the most prospective active media for directly pumped UV solid-state tunable lasers. Due to the geterovalent activation nature of these crystals, crystal spectroscopic properties as well as their laser efficiency strongly depend on the actual crystal growth conditions. In order to establish the growth-related peculiarities of activator center formation in LiCAF, concerted crystal growth, EPR and site-selective laser spectroscopic studies were performed. For EPR and optical spectroscopic studies, the Gd3+ -"probe" activation of LiCAF crystal was used here instead of much harder to interpret Ce3+ activation. The obtained results indicate that up to three types of structurally distinct Gd3+ centers are formed in the LiCAF crystals with their relative concentrations changing depending on the crystal growth conditions. The results are being applied for growing Ce3+ -activated LiCAF crystals with the desired luminescence and laser performance. © 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved

Spectral-kinetic and lasing characteristics of new Nd3+-activated laser hosts of the KF–YF3 system

The results of the investigation of two new laser hosts are reported. Stimulated emission from Nd3+ ions has been observed for the first time in the two ordered fluoride crystals of the KF–YF3 system: KYF4 (FYK) and K2YF5 (PYFK). The major luminescent and lasing characteristics of the crystals are presented. The stimulated emission spectrum features and application prospects of the new laser hosts are discussed. © 1990 Taylor & Francis Ltd

VUV and UV fluorescence and absorption studies of Nd3+ and Ho3+ ions in LiYF4 single crystals

The laser induced fluorescence spectra of LiYF4:ND3+ (YLF:Nd) and LiYF4:Ho3+ (YLF:Ho) single crystals, pumped by an F2 pulsed discharge molecular laser at 157 nm were obtained in the vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) and ultraviolet (UV) regions of the spectrum. With this pumping arrangement a number of new fluorescence peaks were observed for the first time. They are assigned to the dipole allowed transitions 4f25d→4f3 and 4f95d→4f10 of the Nd3+ and Ho3+ ions, respectively. The absorption spectra of the same crystal samples in the VUV and UV spectral regions were taken as well. © 1994

Vacuum-ultraviolet interconfigurational 4f3 → 4f 25d absorption and emission studies of the Nd3+ ion in KYF, YF, and YLF crystal hosts

The laser-induced vacuum-ultraviolet fluorescence spectra of KY 3F10:Nd3+ (KYF:Nd) and YF3:Nd 3+ (YF:Nd) single crystals pumped by a pulsed-discharge molecular F2 laser at 157 nm were obtained. A number of new fluorescence peaks were observed and were assigned to the 4f 25d → 4f3 dipole-allowed transitions of the Nd3+ ion. The absorption spectra of LiYF4:Nd3+ (YLF:Nd), KYF:Nd, and YF:Nd crystal samples in the vacuumultraviolet spectral regions were also obtained. Finally, the splitting of the states of the 4f25d configuration of the Nd 3+ ion, which is due to the crystal field, was observed in all the crystal samples. © 1995 Optical Society of America