Camille Bibeau, Stephen A. Payne, and Howard T. Powell, "Direct measurements of the terminal laser level lifetime in neodymium-doped crystals and glasses," J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 12, 1981-1992 (1995)
We have measured the terminal level lifetime (τ11/2) for the 1-μm neodymium transition in several laser media, using a novel pump (2.41-μm) and probe (1.06-μm) technique. This method allows us to populate the 4I13/2 level directly and subsequently to monitor the terminal level 4I11/2 population as a function of time by observing the change in integrated fluoresence of the 0.88-μm emission for each time delay between the pump and the probe pulses. We developed a computer model to analyze the data and determined the upper and lower limits for the τ11/2 lifetime. The results for some of the materials investigated are 115–225 ps for Nd:Y3Al5O12, 250–450 ps for Nd:LG-750 (phosphate glass), 535–740 ps for Nd:LG-660 (silicate glass), 896–1900 ps for Nd:YAlO3, and 10.5–20 ns for Nd:YLiF4. In addition, we found the lifetimes to be independent of the neodymium doping concentration for the phosphate and silicate glass samples investigated.
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The results from the various measurement techniques, which include an indirect method (4G7/2 lifetime) and a direct method (gain recovery), illustrate the wide range of reported values and uncertainties.
Table 2
Summary of Fitted Results and Energy Gap Parameters: Effective Lifetime (τeff), Ratio of Cross Sections (σ11/2/σ13/2), Averaged Energy Gap (ΔEave), Effective Phonon Energy (hνeff), and Normalized Energy Gap (pmax)
The lower limit was established from an expression that included the slope (γ), the energy difference (ΔEdiff), and the ratio of lifetimes (τ13/2/τ11/2) expected from the slope of the decay rate versus energy gap plots.
Value estimated from phosphate glass data.
Estimated from GSGG and GGG data combined.
Tables (3)
Table 1
Partial List of Methods and Corresponding Lower-Level Lifetimes Reported for Nd:YAGa
The results from the various measurement techniques, which include an indirect method (4G7/2 lifetime) and a direct method (gain recovery), illustrate the wide range of reported values and uncertainties.
Table 2
Summary of Fitted Results and Energy Gap Parameters: Effective Lifetime (τeff), Ratio of Cross Sections (σ11/2/σ13/2), Averaged Energy Gap (ΔEave), Effective Phonon Energy (hνeff), and Normalized Energy Gap (pmax)
The lower limit was established from an expression that included the slope (γ), the energy difference (ΔEdiff), and the ratio of lifetimes (τ13/2/τ11/2) expected from the slope of the decay rate versus energy gap plots.
Value estimated from phosphate glass data.
Estimated from GSGG and GGG data combined.