Enhanced Laser Cooling of Rare-Earth-Ion-Doped Glass Containing Nanometer-Sized Metallic Particles

The enhanced laser cooling performance ofrare-earth-ions-doped glasses containing small particles is predicted. Thisis achieved by the enhancement of local field around rare earth ions, owingto the surface plasmon resonance of small metallic particles. The role ofenergy transfer between ions and the particle is theoretical discussed.Depending on the particle size and the ion emission quantum efficiency, theenhancement of the absorption and the fluorescence is predicted. Moreover,taking Yb³⁺-doped ZBLAN as example, the cooling power and heat-lightconverting efficiency are calculated. It is finally concluded that theabsorption and the fluorescence are greatly enhanced in these compositematerials, the cooling power is increased compared to the bulk material.