Dominant Cr3+ centers in LiNbO3 under hydrostatic pressure

Low-temperature luminescence spectra of stoichiometric Cr: LiNbO₃ and of congruent Cr, Mg: LiNbO₃ were studied. Cr³⁺ impurity ions preferentially occupy Li⁺ sites (Cr_Li) in the LiNbO₃ crystal lattice, while Cr³⁺ ions substituting for Nb⁵⁺ ions (Cr_Nb) occur in addition to Cr_Li centers in codoped Cr, Mg: LiNbO₃ crystals. Application of a high hydrostatic pressure leads to a transformation of (dominant in concentration) Cr³⁺ centers from low-to high-crystal-field centers. Due to a strong pressure-induced blue shift of the ⁴ T ₂ state resulting in crossing with the ² E state, the replacement of the broad band ⁴ T ₂ → ⁴ A ₂ emission by a narrow R-line emission ² E → ⁴ A ₂ occurs in the luminescence spectra of the samples. This effect of level crossing was observed for the dominant Cr _Li ³⁺ and Cr _Nb ³⁺ centers at pressures which correlated well with estimations based on the ⁴ T ₂-² E energy gap (230 and 1160 cm^?1) and on the rate of their pressure-induced change (14.35 and 11.4 cm^?1/kbar, respectively).