Oscillator strengths and laser effect in Na2Nd2Pb6(PO4)6Cl2 (chloroapatite), a new high‐Nd‐concentration laser material

摘要

Chloroapatite (Na2Nd2Pb6(PO4)6Cl2), a Nd3+ compound with 3.4×1021 ions cm-3 has been shown recently to possess a high fluorescence efficiency. Measurements on single‐crystal samples show that the oscillator strengths and the fluorescence quenching are both slightly smaller than in Nd pentaphosphate (NPP). Laser effect with longitudinal Ar* laser excitation is reported for the first time in this material on two lines at 1.0585 and 1.0675 μm, which have orthogonal polarizations and equal thresholds, in agreement with fluorescence spectra. The laser threshold (absorbed power for a given total cavity loss) is nearly equal to that of a NPP crystal in the same cavity.