Abstract

The high-resolution spectroscopic and emission-decay investigation of highly concentrated (up to 9 at. %) Nd:YAG ceramics indicates that the state of the ${\mathrm{Nd}}^{3+}$ ion in these materials is similar to that of diluted crystals. The increased relative intensities of the spectral satellites connected with ensembles of Nd ions in near-lattice sites at high Nd concentrations $C_{\mathrm{Nd}}$ is consistent with the predictions of the statistics of the random placement of these ions at the available lattice sites. The room-temperature transmission spectra show that the resonant pump in the emitting level ${ }^4{F}_{3/2},$ including the hot-band pump $Z_2\to R_1$ and $Z_3\to R_2,$ can be efficient at high $C_{\mathrm{Nd}},$ with important effects in the reduction of the pump quantum defect and of the corresponding heat generation under the pump. The accelerated ${ }^4{F}_{3/2}$ emission decay at high $C_{\mathrm{Nd}}$ is consistent with the increased efficiency of the energy transfer, including the contribution of migration-assisted transfer processes. The calculated emission quantum efficiency η and the figure of merit $\eta C_{\mathrm{Nd}}$ indicate that the concentrated Nd:YAG components can be used for construction of efficient solid-state lasers in free-generation or low-storage regimes, and, coupled with the hot-band resonant pump in the emitting level, they could enable the scaling of Nd:YAG lasers to high powers.

© 2002 Optical Society of America

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