Synthesis of New SrPb3Br8 Crystals and Investigation of Their Properties

Crystallography Reports - A new compound, SrPb3Br8, has been synthesized and investigated by X-ray diffraction and spectroscopic methods. Its crystal structure is described as follows: Pnma, a =...     

LiInSe2 nanosecond optical parametric oscillator

Optical parametric oscillation using the new lithium selenoindate nonlinear crystal is reported for what is to our knowledge the first time. A 17 mm long, type II phase-matched sample is pumped by a 10 ns Nd:YAG laser. The minimum pump energy threshold is 3 mJ for a signal-resonant configuration. The signal and idler waves are tunable between 1.47 and 1.57 microm, and 3.3 and 3.78 microm, with a total output energy of 170 microJ corresponding to a 2.4% energy conversion at 8 mJ pump, only limited by the AR coatings damage. With optimized crystal quality and coatings, lithium selenoindate should show superior performance as compared with AgGaS(e)2 crystals, owing to its 4x larger thermal conductivity.     

Spectroscopic studies of erbium-doped potassium-lead double chloride crystals KPb<Subscript>2</Subscript>Cl<Subscript>5</Subscript>:Er<Superscript>3+</Superscript>: 1. Optical spectra and relaxation of excited states of the erbium ion in potassium-lead double chloride crystals

Optical spectra, intensities of radiative and nonradiative transitions, and luminescence kinetics in erbium-doped potassium-lead double chloride crystals KPb₂Cl₅:Er³⁺s(KPC:Er³⁺) were investigated. The crystals were grown by the Bridgman-Stockbarger method. Their absorption and luminescence spectra were studied experimentally. The crystal-matrix absorption edge was determined at 80 and 300 K. Intensity parameters, radiative transition probabilities, branching ratios, and nonradiative relaxation rates were estimated by the Judd-Ofelt method. The luminescence kinetics from the emitting levels ⁴ G _11/2, ² G _9/2, ⁴ S _3/2, and ⁴ F _9/2 upon selective excitation was studied.     

Electronic excitations and luminescence of SrMgF4 single crystals

The electronic and crystal structures of SrMgF₄ single crystals grown by the Bridgman method have been investigated. The undoped SrMgF₄ single crystals have been studied using low-temperature (T = 10 K) time-resolved fluorescence optical and vacuum ultraviolet spectroscopy under selective excitation by synchrotron radiation (3.7–36.0 eV). Based on the measured reflectivity spectra and calculated spectra of the optical constants, the following parameters of the electronic structure have been determined for the first time: the minimum energy of interband transitions E _g = 12.55 eV, the position of the first exciton peak E _n = 1 = 11.37 eV, the position of the maximum of the “exciton” luminescence excitation band at 10.7 eV, and the position of the fundamental absorption edge at 10.3 eV. It has been found that photoluminescence excitation occurs predominantly in the region of the low-energy fundamental absorption edge of the crystal and that, at energies above E _g , the energy transfer from the matrix to luminescence centers is inefficient. The exciton migration is the main excitation channel of photoluminescence bands at 2.6–3.3 and 3.3–4.2 eV. The direct photoexcitation is characteristic of photoluminescence from defects at 1.8–2.6 and 4.2–5.5 eV.     

Comparative Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Study of As-Grown and Annealed LiInSe2 Ternary Compounds

Magnetic properties of Pm ions in NdNiAl₄ were investigated by low-temperature nuclear orientation of ¹⁴⁴Pm. The observed γ-ray anisotropy as a function of external fields revealed a change in the magnetic structure of Pm ions at the metamagnetic phase transition of NdNiAl₄. The extracted hyperfine field was 50(5) T which is substantially smaller than those previously reported.     

A novel use of hyperfine structure in the electron paramagnetic resonance of interacting pairs of paramagnetic defects in diamond

It is the hyperfine structure of ¹⁴N and ¹³C in the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectrum which indicates that the unpaired electron of a single substitutional nitrogen atom in diamond is in one of the four anti-bonding N-C orbitals. We show that, for diamonds containing a very high concentration of nitrogen, the hyperfine structure of interacting pairs of nitrogen atoms indicates that for close neighbours there are unique orientations of the constituent N-C bonds, while at larger distances the orientations are random. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Electronic structure and fundamental absorption edges of KPb2Br5, K0.5Rb0.5Pb2Br5, and RbPb2Br5 single crystals

X-ray photoelectron core-level and valence-band spectra for pristine and Ar⁺-ion irradiated (001) surfaces of KPb₂Br₅, K_0.5Rb_0.5Pb₂Br₅, and RbPb₂Br₅ single crystals grown by the Bridgman method have been measured and fundamental absorption edges of the ternary bromides have been recorded in the polarized light at 300 K and 80 K. The present X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results reveal high chemical stability of (001) surfaces of K_xRb_1?xPb₂Br₅ (x=0, 0.5, and 1.0) single crystals. Substitution of potassium for rubidium in K_xRb_1?xPb₂Br₅ does not cause any changes of binding energy values and shapes of the XPS constituent element core-level spectra. Measurements of the fundamental absorption edges indicate that band gap energy, E_g, increases by about 0.14 and 0.19 eV when temperature decreases from 300 K to 80 K in KPb₂Br₅ and RbPb₂Br₅, respectively. Furthermore, there is no dependence of the E_g value for KPb₂Br₅ upon the light polarization, whilst the band gap energy value for RbPb₂Br₅ is bigger by 0.03–0.05 eV in the case of E6c compared to those in the cases of E6a and E6b.     

Excitons and energy transfer in KPb<Subscript>2</Subscript>Cl<Subscript>5</Subscript> and RbPb<Subscript>2</Subscript>Br<Subscript>5</Subscript> laser crystals

Excitonic states, radiative relaxation of electronic excitations, and energy transfer to luminescence centers in both undoped and rare-earth activated (Pr, Er, Nd, Ho, Tb, Tm) KPb₂Cl₅ and RbPb₂Br₅ crystals were studied using low-temperature (8 K) time-resolved VUV spectroscopy under selective photoexcitation by synchrotron radiation.     

EPR study of the transformations in nickel containing centres at heated synthetic diamonds

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) was used to investigate the transformation of as grown nickel and nitrogen defects at the annealing of synthetic diamonds, obtained by the temperature gradient method. Structural models and formation mechanisms of the seven nickel containing paramagnetic centres (NE1-NE7) in synthetic diamonds are discussed. A common structural fragment of NE1-NE4 centres is a double semivacancy, in centre of which Ni⁺ ion is located. The NE6, NE7 centres are proved to operate as shallow electronic traps. The effects observable for NE5 centres are supposed due to an internal electronic transformation in them. The problem of charge compensators for nickel ions is also discussed. The features observable in the charge transfer processes under X-ray irradiation for nickel and nitrogen containing centres suggest that donor nitrogen serves as a bulk charge compensator for substitutional nickel and NE1 centres.     

Doppler spectroscopy of NH3 and SF6 in the 10-μm range with a tunable AgGaS2 difference-frequency spectrometer

A continuous-wave mid-IR diode-laser-based, dual-cavity difference-frequency spectrometer employing silver thiogallate (AgGaS₂) as the down-conversion material, and producing only 30 nW of usable mid-IR output, is used to record Doppler spectra of NH₃ and SF₆ around 10.2 m and 10.5 m over the 90-GHz range. The tuning procedure of the spectrometer as well as a baseline noise cancellation technique based on analogue signal ratioing are described. The device can potentially be used for ultra-high-resolution saturation spectroscopy, pending an improvement of the down-conversion efficiency to 1-W power. PACS 42.65.Ky; 42.62.Fi; 42.70.Mp; 42.72.Ai; 42.60.Da; 33.20.Ea