Optical Spectra and Laser Action of Neodymium in a Crystal Ba2MgGe2O7

Abstract

Absorption, fluorescence, and excitation spectra of a single crystal of Ba2MgGe2O7: Nd3+ were investigated. The lifetime of the 4F3/2 state of the neodymium ion is 450 μsec at 300°K. The width of the strongest fluorescence line at 1.054 μ is 35 and 10 Å at 300° and 80°K, respectively. Laser action was achieved at 1.05444 μ at room temperature.

Tetragonal Ba2MgGe2O7- a novel multifunctional optical crystal with numerous manifestations of nonlinear-laser effects: almost sesqui-octave Stokes and anti-Stokes combs and cascadedχ(3)↔χ(2)lasing with involved second and third harmonic generation

“…[8][9][10]), we report in the present work on the observation of numerous manifestations of nonlinear-laser effects in the tetragonal barium magnesium germanate, Ba 2 MgGe 2 O 7 , with melilitetype structure, which is among the oldest host-materials for Nd 3+ lasants [11]. We also give linear optical properties of the title crystal and the results of an X-ray crystal structure analysis.…”

“…However, much less information is found about the growth of large single crystals and physical properties of melilite compounds, especially concerning the germanates. Table 2 [11] were investigated with respect to their spectroscopic properties and laser action [11,42,[97][98][99] , were grown to large single crystals of optical quality using the Czochralski method [100]. These crystals were the basis for electro-optic and piezoelectric investigations of this series of melilites [20].…”

Optical properties of the germanate melilites Sr2MgGe2O7, Sr2ZnGe2O7 and Ba2ZnGe2O7

“…[1] were grown to large single crystals and in several cases were doped with lanthanides as laser crystals (see, e.g. [16][17][18][19]), but in the following, with the exception of a study of electro-optic properties of several melilite crystals [20], no further interest in the melilites as optical materials is documented in the literature. In our recent study of nonlinear optical properties of the melilite crystal Ba 2 MgGe 2 O 7 the manifestation of numerous nonlinear optical effects based on χ (2) , χ (3) and cascaded χ (2) ↔ χ (3) processes was observed [1], that revived our interest in the melilite-group crystals.…”

Temperature dependencies of linewidths, positions, and line shifts of spectral transitions of trivalent neodymium ions in barium magnesium yttrium germanate laser host

“…A number of germanate laser hosts have been investigated by several researchers in the past, and these materials have been found to possess spectroscopic and laser characteristics which are superior to those of Nd:YAG. [1][2][3][4][5] Unfortunately, the UV radiation present in the flashlamp produces color centers during the pumping of these hosts. 1 These color centers have deleterious effects on the ultimate laser performance of these materials.…”