Crystal chirality and optical rotation sense in isomorphous Bi12SiO20 and Bi12GeO20

Laevorotatory crystals of isomorphous Bi₁₂SiO₂₀ and Bi₁₂GeO₂₀ are shown, by use of the anomalous X-ray scattering component in the structure amplitudes, to have identical chirality (handedness of atomic arrangement) in contrast with the case of NaC10₃ and NaBrO₃, in which crystals of the same chirality rotate plane polarized light in opposite senses.     

Reversible photochromic effects in doped single crystals of bismuth germanium (Bi12GeO20) and bismuth silicon oxide (Bi12SiO20)

Absorption of Bi₁₂GeO₂₀ and Bi₁₂SiO₂₀ single crystals doped with Mn and Cr were investigated before and after illumination with visible light. Pronounced photochromic effects were found. The effects are explained in terms of light induced charge transfer Mn⁴⁺→Mn⁵⁺ and Cr³⁺→Cr²⁺.     

Real-time image division in four-wave mixing with photorefractive Bi12GeO20 crystals

Real-time image division is obtained by using four-wave mixing of a reflection hologram type with photorefractive Bi₁₂GeO₂₀ crystals. This method utilizes the nonlinear characteristic of four-wave mixing which reverses the phase of the incident wave.     

Normal modes in the vicinity of the brillouin zone center of tightly bound units in Bi12GeO20 and Bi12SiO20

From Raman data and a group-theoretical analysis, we deduce that in Bi₁₂GeO₂₀ and Bi₁₂SiO₂₀ there are four weakly bound oxygen atoms and a tightly bound unit MO₄, where M = Ge or Si. Some normal modes of the tightly bound units are identified in Raman and in infrared reflection data. The kinds of interatomic binding forces in these crystals are determined. The results are compared with structure data determined by X-ray scattering.     

中子非弹性散射对Bi12GeO20和Bi12SiO20旋声性的研究

通过用中子非弹性散射测量旋声晶体高对称方向的横声学支声子色散曲线的劈裂,从三个方面研究了同构异质晶体Bi₁₂GeO₂₀和Bi₁₂SiO₂₀的旋声特性。值得注意的是,沿〈111〉方向传播的左旋、右旋圆偏振声子具有不同的衰减。其中传播速度快的圆偏振声子衰减较大,该结论为这两种晶体所证实,这是在晶体旋声性研究中首次观察到的现象。实验还直接确定了衰减较大的这支声子的寿命约为2×10^-11S。 关键词：     

Light diffraction and nonlinear image processing in electrooptic Bi12SiO20 crystals

Some characteristic peculiarities of the volume phase holograms in a high-sensitive electrooptic Bi₁₂SiO₂₀ crystals such as polarization properties of the diffracted light beam and nonlinear phenomena in the stationary stage of the hologram formation are investigated. Spatial frequency mixing or combinational hologram writing by means of non-linearity of the holographic process is discussed as a new promising technique of the volume holography. In particular two important problems of Bi₁₂SiO₂₀ crystals: nondestructive readout at the wavelength different from that of the writing beams and correlation analysis of complex two-dimensional pictures can be solved by this method.     

Phase-conjugate wavefront generation via four wave mixing in Bi12GeO20 crystals - reflection hologram type

Phase-conjugate wavefront generation via real-time holography in degenerate four-wave mixing experiments in photorefractive crystals Bi₁₂GeO₂₀ is presented. The phase volume hologram responsible for the phase-conjugate wavefront generation is a reflection hologram. No external electric field is applied and electron diffusion is the main mechanism responsible for the formation of the hologram. The theoretical and experimental results for wavefront reflectivity as a function of the intensity ratio of the writing beams are given.     

Bi12GeO20晶体的位错蚀斑与对称群

用化学浸蚀法系统的研究了Bi₁₂GeO₂₀晶体{100},{100},{111}等晶面独特浸蚀斑规律并用对称群理论进行分析.理论预示的蚀斑形态与实验结果符合很好.显示位错蚀斑是由{112}晶面组成,即晶体的惯态面为{112}.     

Multi-wavelength holography in Bi12TiO20 crystals: Applications in refractometry

We present a recent development in holography with multimode, large free-spectral range (FSR) diode lasers in photorefractive sillenite crystals. A novel refractometry method based on this type of holographic recording in Bi₁₂TiO₂₀ (BTO) crystals is proposed. The holographic image of a prism-shaped transparent sample appears covered of interference fringes, and as the sample is properly translated, the fringes run along the holographic image. An expression providing the refractive index of the medium as a function of the sample displacement and the correspondent number of running fringes was derived. The refractive indexes of optical (BK7) glass, ethanol, hexan, cumene and aqueous solution of NaCl with different concentrations were measured in order to test the method. The obtained results are in good agreement with the ones reported in literature or measured by us using a commercial Abbe refractometre.     

Temperature-dependent far-infrared properties of Bi12GeO20 single crystal

Far-infrared reflectivity spectra of bismuth germanium oxide (Bi12GeO20) single crystals are measured from room temperature down to 10 K. All the reflectivity spectra are fitted to a complex dielectric function ε(ω) in the factorised form. Phonon modes at low frequency are found to develop upon decreasing temperature and gain considerable spectrum weight below 150 K. The temperature-dependent static dielectric constants are obtained from the Lyddane-Sachs-Teller relation based on the obtained oscillator parameters. The dielectric constants are found to increase upon decreasing temperature, which is attributed to the charge transfer among the ions in the unit cell with the temperature varying.     

Light Dispersion in Bismuth Germanate Crystals and Bismuth Oxide Films

The dispersion of light in Bi₄Ge₃O₁₂ and Bi₁₂GeO₂₀ single crystals and thin Bi₂O₃ films with a monoclinic structure was investigated in the visible spectral region. The parameters of a single-oscillator approximation have been found. It is established that in Bi₄Ge₃O₁₂ crystals the absorption band caused by the O2p–Bi6p transitions makes the main contribution to the dispersion curve in the visible region, whereas in Bi₁₂GeO₂₀ crystals this is made by transitions from the hybrid O2p–Bi6p states to the conduction band. The dispersion energy, the degree of the ionicity of binding, and the coordination number of the first coordination sphere of the Bi³⁺ cation have been determined.     

Infrared and Raman study of the optical phonons in Bi4Ge3O12 single crystal

Infrared reflection and polarized Raman scattering spectra of cubic Td⁶ Bi₄Ge₃O₁₂ single crystals were recorded, allowing the classification of the observed phonon modes into the different allowed symmetry. There is a good agreement with group theoretical predictions, since 25 phonon modes are localized, among the expected 27 ones. An assignment in terms of the GeO₄ “tetrahedra” vibrations is tentatively given and discussed.     

Analysis of reflectivity spectrum and band structure of Bi12GeO20

The fundamental reflectivity spectrum in the energy range 1.5–8.5 eV is reported for Bi₁₂GeO₂₀ (BGO) single crystals. From a Kramers-Kronig analysis the optical constants of BGO are computed. An energy level scheme for interband optical transitions is proposed. A value of 0.7 eV for the spin-orbit splitting of the valence band is suggested. Some features of the band structure are discussed, and the correlations between the band structures of BGO and A₂^VB₃^VI-compounds are indicated. The experimental premises for possible simplifications of a theoretical calculation of the band structure are given.     

Three-Photon Absorption in Photorefractive BSO and BGO Crystals

The possibility of optical limitation of picosecond laser radiation in photorefractive Bi₁₂SiO₂₀ (BSO) and Bi₁₂GeO₂₀ (BGO) crystals at a wavelength of 1064 nm has been demonstrated. It is shown that the mechanism determining the process of optical limitation is three-photon absorption. The coefficients of three-photon absorption have been determined by the Z-scanning method.     

Optical and holographic properties of Fe+Mn co-doped Bi4Ge3O12 crystals

The effect of iron and manganese co-doping on the light-induced, dark- and photoconductivity and holographic properties of Bi₄Ge₃O₁₂ crystals in comparison with Fe- and Mn-single doping is studied. Fe+Mn co-doped crystals exhibited strong photochromic effect at room temperature, the photochromic effect being fully reversible by thermal annealing. The observed light-induced absorption changes and non-linear dependence of photoconductivity on light intensities indicate deep and shallow photoactive levels contribution to the charge transport mechanism of Fe+Mn co-doped BGO. Holographic gratings are successfully recorded at different wavelengths and a possibility to extend the photorefractive sensitivity into the red spectral range is demonstrated. It is found furthermore that Fe+Mn-doping combination leads to faster response time during holographic recording, especially after a preliminary exposure with ultraviolet light, in comparison with Fe- and Mn-single doping.     

Transient energy transfer between writing beams during hologram formation in Bi12GeO20

A large transient energy transfer between writing beams during volume phase-hologram formation in Bi₁₂GeO₂₀ has been observed. The variation of the energy transfer by applying an external field and by changing the fringe spacing of the elementary holograms have been measured and described in the framework of Kukhtarevs nonlinear theory of transient self-diffraction. The results indicate that the transient energy transfer in Bi₁₂GeO₂₀ is due to a non-stationary phase mismatch between the intensity- and refractive index grating caused by photoconductivity and that the transient energy transfer increases with increasing fringe spacing and increasing applied electric field. Up to ten-fold amplification of coherent beams has been measured, corresponding to an exponential gain of Г = 2 cm^-1. A continuous energy transfer has been observed when the phase between recording beams was changed linearly with time during recording. It is shown that light is coherently amplified for electric field strengths larger than 2.3 kV/cm and that a peak amplification factor of Г₁ = 2 cm^-1 has been reached for E₀ = 11 kV/cm.     

Dispersion of electro-optic coefficients in sillenite crystals

The photorefractive crystals of the sillenite family (Bi₁₂SiO₂₀ or BSO, Bi₁₂GeO₂₀ or BGO, and Bi₁₂TiO₂₀ or BTO) that belong to the cubic 23 point group are optically active, and exhibit the piezoelectric, elasto-optic, electro-optic and electrogyration effect. In this paper we measure the dispersion of the electro-optic coefficient for all the crystals of the sillenite family in the visible spectral range (500–800 nm). For this we measure by ellipsometry the polarization properties of a beam transmitted in the transverse configuration under the action of an externally applied field. The experimental data are fitted with an analytical expression of the beam polarization to find the electro-optic coefficient. The results show a normal dispersion of the electro-optic coefficient in all three sillenite crystals, similarly to other electro-optic crystals.     

Solitons generated by self-organization in bismuth germanium oxide single crystals during the interaction with laser beam

We present here the experimental, theoretical, and numerical investigations of Kerr solitons generated by self-organization in black and yellow high quality bismuth germanium oxide (Bi₁₂GeO₂₀) single crystals. A picosecond laser beam of increasing power induces competing cubic and quintic nonlinearities. The numerical evolution of two-dimensional complex cubic-quintic nonlinear Schrödinger equation with measured values of nonlinearities shows the compensation of diffraction by competing cubic and quintic nonlinearities of opposite sign, i.e., the self-generation and stable propagation of solitons. Experiments as well as numerical simulations show higher nonlinearity in the black Bi₁₂GeO₂₀ than in the more transparent yellow one.     

Polarization characteristics of volume holograms in Bi12SiO20

The polarization sensitivity of holographic recording in Bi₁₂SiO₂₀ is experimentally studied. The shape of the obtained curves depends on the magnitude of the applied electric field, crystal thickness, spatial frequency of the recorded gratings, and the order of diffraction.     

Bi离子掺杂GeO2-Al2O3-M(M=Na2O，BaO，Y2O3)玻璃的光学性质

用高温熔融法制备了Bi离子掺杂浓度为1mol%的GeO-B₂O₃-Na₂O (GBNB)，GeO₂-Al₂O₃-Na₂O(GANB)，GeO₂-Al₂O₃-BaO(GABB)和GeO₂-Al₂O₃-Y₂O₃(GAYB)玻璃.测定了样品玻璃的差热曲线、吸收、发射光谱及荧光衰减曲线.实验发现GBNB，GANB，GAYB，GABB的吸收边带逐步发生红移.由于这些吸收边带是由Bi³⁺的6s²电子到Bi⁵⁺ 6s⁰空轨道的跃迁引起.因此推断GBNB，GANB，GAYB，GABB玻璃中Bi⁵⁺离子的含量逐步增加.在GABB，GAYB，GANB三个样品中观察到发光中心约1220nm超宽带荧光发射.荧光强度从GABB，GAYB，GANB逐步减弱，荧光半高宽和荧光寿命逐步变小.这些超宽带的荧光归属为Bi⁵⁺离子的发光所致.从吸收与荧光光谱的变化，推断在GeO₂-Al₂O₃玻璃中引入BaO，Y₂O₃组分有利于Bi⁵⁺离子的形成.讨论了BaO，Y₂O₃化学组分对Bi离子在玻璃中的价态影响的内在机理. 关键词： 5+离子')" href="#">Bi⁵⁺离子 超宽带发光 吸收带 荧光寿命