Performance of YAG: Cr4+ laser crystal

Abstract The results of investigations of emission, saturable absorption and lasing properties of YAG: Cr 4+ crystal are summarized and analyzed. A spectroscopic and thermodynamic model of the dopant center — a four-fold coordinated Cr 4+ ion, a new activator of materials for solid state quantum electronics — is developed. The polarization dependencies of emission, saturable absorption and lasing properties of YAG: Cr 4+ crystal are shown to be accounted for by the tetragonal symmetry of the new dopant center. The authors analyze the transition probabilities between the energy levels, working in the Cr 4+ active center.