Method for measuring the resonant absorption coefficient of rare-earth-doped optical fibers

Impact of site-selective spectroscopy on laser cooling parameter characterization

From laser design to optical refrigeration, experimentally measured fluorescence spectra are often utilized to obtain input parameters for predictive models. However, in materials that exhibit site-selectivity, the fluorescence spectra depend on the excitation wavelength employed to take the measurement. This work explores different conclusions that predictive models reach after inputting such varied spectra. Here, temperature-dependent site-selective spectroscopy is carried out on an ultra-pure Yb, Al co-doped silica rod fabricated by the modified chemical vapor deposition technique. The results are discussed in the context of characterizing ytterbium doped silica for optical refrigeration. Measurements made between 80 K and 280 K at several different excitation wavelengths yield unique values and temperature dependencies of the mean fluorescence wavelength. For the excitation wavelengths studied here, the variation in emission lineshapes ultimately lead to calculated minimum achievable temperatures (MAT) ranging between 151 K and 169 K, with theoretical optimal pumping wavelengths between 1030 nm and 1037 nm. Direct evaluation of the temperature dependence of the fluorescence spectra band area associated with radiative transitions out of the thermally populated ²F_5/2 sublevel may be a better approach to identifying the MAT of a glass where site-selective behavior precludes unique conclusions.

Implementation of Laser-Induced Anti-Stokes Fluorescence Power Cooling of Ytterbium-Doped Silica Glass

Laser cooling of a solid is achieved when a coherent laser illuminates the material, and the heat is extracted by annihilation of phonons resulting in anti-Stokes fluorescence. Over the past year, net solid-state laser cooling was successfully demonstrated for the first time in Yb-doped silica glass in both bulk samples and fibers. Here, we report more than 6 K of cooling below the ambient temperature, which is the lowest temperature achieved in solid-state laser cooling of silica glass to date to the best of our knowledge. We present details on the experiment performed using a 20 W laser operating at a 1035 nm wavelength and temperature measurements using both a thermal camera and the differential luminescence thermometry technique.