Spectroscopic properties of Pr3+ ions in biaxial LaB3O6 crystal -: art. no. 064905

LaB3O6 single crystal doped with Pr3+ ions has been grown by the Czochralski method. The angular relationship between the principal axes of the optical indicatrix and the crystallographic axes in the crystal was determined. The polarized absorption spectra, polarized fluorescence spectra, and fluorescence decay curves of the crystal were measured at room temperature. The modified Judd-Ofelt theories, extended to the anisotropic crystal, have been applied to analyze the spectra. The spectroscopic parameters, including the Judd-Ofelt intensity parameters Omega(t,q)(t=2,4,6), spontaneous emission probabilities, fluorescence branching ratios, radiative lifetimes, fluorescence quantum efficiencies, and stimulated emission cross sections were calculated and analyzed. The promising luminescent and upper laser level of the Pr3+:LaB3O6 crystal is determined. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.