Converting Eu^3+ between defect sites in BaFCl for persistent spectral hole burning
Songfeng Li, G. K. Liu, Wei Zhao
Persistent spectral hole burning (PSHB) is demonstrated in the (7)F(0)-->(5)D(0) optical transition of Eu(3+) doped into crystals of BaFCl. For Eu(3+) ions at two different lattice sites, persistent holes can be burned at temperatures below 77 K. The characteristics of the hole-burning process suggest that the observed PSHB effect is due to laser-excitation-induced site-to-site conversion. One type of Eu(3+) site is converted into another type of defect site. This process is not optically reversible, and holes can be erased only when the temperature increases to 150 K.
Optics Letters•Jun 15, 1999•13 citations