Laser action of Pr/sup 3+/ in LiYF/sub 4/ and spectroscopy of Eu/sup 2+/-sensitized Pr in BaY/sub 2/F/sub 8/

Laser action in flashlamp-pumped Pr:LiYF/sub 4/ at room temperature is observed at 640 nm with a 15-J threshold, but only approximately 0.01% slope efficiency. Increased efficiency from sensitizing the Pr with Eu/sup 2+/ is explored in the system Eu,Pr:BaY/sub 2/F/sub 8/. Co doped samples have been grown by the Czochralski growth method, and energy transfer between Eu/sup 2+/ and Pr/sup 3+/ is observed to be very weak. This is probably due to the poor overlap of the Eu/sup 2+/ emission with the Pr/sup 3+/ absorption lines, leading to the conclusion that hosts with a stronger crystal field at the Eu/sup 2+/ site need to be identified.<
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