Abstract

Laser-induced grating measurements were made as a function of laser power and write beam crossing angle for various temperatures between 10 and 300 K on Cr³⁺ ions in Gd₃Ga₅O₁₂ (GGG), Gd₃Sc₂Ga₃O₁₂ (GSGG), and GGG mixed with Ca, Mg, and Zr ions. Population gratings were produced in the Cr³⁺ ions, and the diffusion coefficient describing energy migration among the Cr³⁺ ions was determined from the grating decay rate. The energy migration was found to increase as the temperature was raised for GGG and to decrease with decreasing temperature for GSGG. This difference is attributed to the differences in the crystal field splittings of the excited states in the two hosts. Enhanced energy diffusion was observed in the multiply doped GGG sample. Contributions to the laser-induced gratings from absorption and dispersion changes were determined, and this was used to provide information on radiationless relaxation and excited state absorption processes. For long writing times, long-lived changes in the refractive index were observed and attributed to optically induced color centers.

© 1988 Optical Society of America