Thermo-optic properties of laser crystals in the 100-300 K temperature range: Y3Al5O12 (YAG), YAlO3 (YALO) and LiYF4 (YLF)

Spectroscopic and thermo-optic properties of laser crystals are needed for solid-state laser performance modeling. Here we present a brief report on the measurement of key thermo-optic properties: thermal conductivity (κ), coefficient of thermal expansion (α), and thermal coefficient of refractive index (dn/dT). κ was measured using laser-flash method. α was measured using a 632.8-nm He-Ne Michelson laser interferometer. dn/dT was determined at 1064 nm, using measured values of α and the thermal coefficient of the optical path length. An extended paper containing more detailed results will be submitted to the Journal of Applied Physics.