Interferometry and spectroscopy of Cr3+:LiCaAlF6 crystals for tunable wavelength laser sources

Here we report on physical, spectral and gain characteristics of crystals for near IR active medium Cr:LiCaAlF6 grown by Bridgeman method. Samples have shown good homogeneity of refractive index and high optical quality. Optical spectroscopy characteristics together with
$\text{Cr}^{3+}$
content distribution have been investigated, as well as experiments on light amplification and laser oscillation have been performed.