Optical spectroscopy of Ce 3+ ions in BaY 2 F 8 single crystals

In the present work we report on the spectroscopic properties of the Ce 3+ ion in BaY 2 F 8 single crystals. The absorption and excitation spectra of the emission centered at 340 v nm have been measured in the temperature range 15-300 v K. The 340 v nm emission consists of two broad partially overlapping bands, peaking at 324 and 347 v nm (at 15 v K), respectively. The full width at half maximum is about 0.5 v eV at room temperature. The absorption spectrum of the lowest in energy component of the f M d transition of Ce 3+ reveals at low temperature a marked vibronic structure. High resolution (0.02 v cm m 1 ) Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in the wave number range 500-5000 v cm m 1 and in the temperature range 9-300 v K has been exploited to monitor the f level splitting. The absorption transitions from the three Stark components of the 2 F 5/2 manifold to the four of the 2 F 7/2 one, have been monitored in the wave number range 2000-3400 v cm m 1 . The wave number separation at 9 v K between the lowest level of the ground 2 F 5/2 manifold and lowest one of the 2 F 7/2 manifold is found to be 2197.47 v cm m 1 in good agreement with the splitting detected between the two components of the d M f emission.