Laser Crystals: Their Physics and Properties

475 Pages·1990·9.455 MB·English

by  Professor Alexander A. Kaminskii (auth.)

Springer Series in Optical Sciences Volume 14
Edited by David L. MacAdam
Springer Series in Optical Sciences
Editorial Board: D.L. MacAdam A.L. Schawlow K. Shimoda A. E. Siegman T. Tamir
Managing Editor: H. K. V. Lotsch
42 Principles of Phase Conjugation 52 Tunable Solid-State Lasers 11
By B. Ya. Zel'dovich. N.F. Pilipetsky. Editors: A. B. Budgor, L. Esterowitz,
and V. V. Shkunov and L. G. DeShazer
43 X-Ray Microscopy 53 The CO, Laser By w.J. WiUeman
Editors: G. Schmahl and D. Rudolph 54 Lasers, Spectroscopy and New Ideas
A Tribute to Arthur L. Schawlow
44 Introduction to Laser Physics
Editors: W.M. Yen and M.D. Levenson
By K. Shimoda 2nd Edition
55 Laser Spectroscopy VIII
45 Scanning Electron Microscopy Editors: W. Persson and S. Svanberg
Physics of Image Formation and Microanalysis
By L. Reimer 56 X-Ray Microscopy 11
Editors: D. Sayre, M. Howells, J. Kirz, and
46 Holography and Deformation Analysis H. Rarback
By W. Schumann, J.-P. Zürcher, and D. Cuche
57 Single-Mode Fibers Fundamentals
47 Tunable Solid State Lasers By E.-G. Neumann
Editors: P. Hammerling, A.B. Budgor,
58 Photoacoustic and Photothermal Phenomena
and A. Pirno Editors: P. Hess and J. Pelzl
48 Integrated Optics 59 Photorefractive Crystals in Coherent
Editors: H.P. Nolting and R. Vlrich Optical Systems
By M. P. Petrov, S. I. Stepanov
49 Laser Spectroscopy VII
and A. V. Khomenko
Editors: T. W. Hänsch and Y. R. Shen
60 Holographic Interferometry in Experimental
50 Laser-Induced Dynamic Gratings Mechanics
By H.J. Eichier. P. GÜnter. and D. W. Pohl By Yu. I. Ostrovsky, V. P. Shchepinov
and V. V. Yakovlev
51 Tunable Solid State Lasers for Remote Sensing
Editors: R. L. Byer, E. K. Gustafson, 61 Millimetre and Snbmillimetre Wavelength Lasers
and R. Trebino By N. G. Douglas
Volumes 1-41 are listed on the back inside cover
Alexander A. Kaminskii
Laser Crystals
Their Physics and Properties
Second Edition
With 89 Figures and 56 Tables
Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg GmbH
Professor ALEXANDER A. KAMINSKII
Institute of Crystallography, Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Leninsky pr. 59,
SU-117333 Moscow, USSR
Editorial Board Professor KOICHI SHIMODA, Ph. D.
Faculty of Science and Technology
Keio University, 3-14-1 Hiyoshi, Kohoku-ku
Yokohama 223, Japan
DAVID L. MACADAM, Ph. D. Professor ANTHONY E. SIEGMAN, Ph. D.
68 Hammond Street Electrical Engineering
Rochester, NY 14615, USA E. L. Ginzton Laboratory, Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305, USA
ARTHUR L. Sc HA WLOW, Ph. D. THEODOR T AMIR, Ph. D.
Department of Physics, Stanford University Polytechnic University
Stanford, CA 94305, USA 333 Jay Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201, USA
Managing Editor: Dr. HELMUT K. V. LOTSCH
Springer-Verlag, Tiergartenstrasse 17, D-6900 Heidelberg, Fed. Rep. ofGermany
Tide ofthe original Russian edition: JIA3EPHbIE KPHCTAJIJIbI (Laser Crystals)
© by "Nauka" Publishing House, Moscow 1975
ISBN 978-3-540-52026-9 ISBN 978-3-540-70749-3 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-3-540-70749-3
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data. Kaminskii, Aleksandr Aleksandrovich. [Lazernye kristally.
English] Laser crystals : their physics and properties / Alexander A. Kaminskii. -2nd ed. p. cm. -(Springer series in
optical sciences ; v. 14) Translation of: Lazernye kristally. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 0-387-52026-0
(V.S.) I. Solid-state lasers. 2. Crystals. 3. Laser materials. I. Title. II. Series. TAI705.K3513 1990 621.36'61-dc20
89-26262 CIP
This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned,
specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on
microfilms or in other ways, and storage in data banks. Duplication of this publication or parts thereof is only
permitted underthe provisions ofthe German Copyright Law ofSeptember 9,1965, in its version of June 24,1985,
and a copyright fee must always be paid. Violations fall under the prosecution act of the German Copyright
Law.
© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 1981 and 1990
Originally published by Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg New York in 1990.
The use of registered names, trademarks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific
statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free far
general use.
2154/3130-543210 - Printed on acid-free paper
To the memory of my parents
Preface to the Second Edition
It was a greatest pleasure for me to learn that Springer-Verlag wished to produce a
second edition of my book. In this connection, Dr. H. Lotsch asked me to send hirn a
list of misprints, mistakes, and inaccuracies that had been noticed in the first edition
and to make corresponding corrections without disturbing the layout or the typo
graphy too much. I accepted this opportunity with alacrity and, moreover, found
some free places in the text where I was able to insert some concise, up-to-date
information about new lasing compounds and stimulated emission channels. It was
also possible to increase the number of reference citations. The reader of the second
edition hence has access to more complete data on insulating laser crystals. However,
sections on laser-crystal physics have not been updated, because a satisfactory de
scription of the progress made in the last ten years in this field would have required
the sections to be extended enormously or even a new book to be written.
Moscow, July 1989 ALEXANDER A. KAMINSKII
Preface to the First Edition
The greatest reward for an author is the feeling of satisfaction he gets when
it becomes c1ear to hirn that readers find his work useful. After my book
appeared in the USSR in 1975 I received many letters from fellow physicists
inc1uding colleagues from Western European countries and the USA. Some
of those letters, as well as official reviews of the book, made specific sug
gestions for improving the book. The satisfaction I derived from all those
kind and warm responses gave me the determination to continue work on
the book in order to fulfill these wishes in the next edition. This possibility
arose when one of the scientific editors from Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg,
H. Lotsch, who is the founder of the well-known se ries of quasi-monographs
'Topics in Applied Physics", visited our Institute and suggested an English
edition of my book. For all this, and for his subsequent help, I am sincerely
thankful. I consider it my pleasant duty also to express my gratitude to the
American physicist H. F. Ivey, who served as scientific editor of the trans
lation.
The English version of the book retains the structure of the Russian edition,
though it is supplemented with many new data in the tables and figures. It
retlects trends in the development of the physics and spectroscopy of laser
crystals in recent years. In the selection of material, special attention was
paid to new research in such traditionally important problems as the theory
of the crystal field, optical-transition intensity, electron-phonon interactions,
concentration quenching ofluminescence, laser garnets and high-concentration
compounds. Finally, corrections were made and some more precise definitions
given. The bibliography is also substantially larger and now inc1udes work
published up to the beginning of 1980. References to English translations, which
are more-easily found in the West, are provided for nearly all Russian-Ianguage
publications. I hope that they will help the reader to become acquainted with
Russian work.
Many of the additions are based on the lectures I gave at the Physical
Department of Kishinev State University in 1976, at the Annual Meeting of
GDR Physical Society in Dresden in 1977, and at the International Schools
on Luminescence of Inorganic Media in 1977 and on Radiationless Processes
in 1979 in Erice, Italy. Such preliminary testing of the material was extremely
useful for me.
Now that the book is to appear, I should like to express my gratitude for
the help of many colleagues, both compatriots and foreign scientists. Their
help took many forms, inc1uding reviewing various drafts of the manuscript;
X Preface to the First Edition
communication ofunpublished data; discussion and advice; critical comments;
and donation of preprints, reprints, and also original figures from their
publications.
I am specially thankful to P. P. Feofilov, Yu. E. Perl in, S. E. Sarkisov,
A. A. Kaplyanskii, B. Z. Malkin, I. A. Shcherbakov, V. G. Dmitriev, and
Yu. K. Danileiko; and also to B. DiBartolo, F. Williams, W. F. Krupke, M. J.
Weber, L. G. DeShazer, R. G. Pappalardo, L. A. Riseberg, L. F. Mollenauer,
R. C. Powell, and H. P. Jenssen from the U.S.A.; to D. Curie and F. Auzel from
France; to H. G. Danielmeyer and H. Welling from Fed. Rep. of Germany;
to G. Blasse from the Netherlands, to J. A. Koningstein from Canada; to H. P.
Weber from Switzerland; to G. F. Imbusch from Ireland; to D. J. Newman
from Australia, and to K. Washio and M. Sarawatari from Japan.
I am sincerely grateful to my closest co-workers and postgraduate students
for their constant help and support. I am also cordially thankful to my wife
Natasha and son Sasha for their understanding and patience through the many
weekends that I took from them and devoted to the present book.
Moscow, July 1980 ALEXANDER A. KAMINSKII
Remarks by the Editor of the Original English Edition
When I first saw the original Russian version of this book, I was greatly
impressed with the large amount of detailed information it contained, reflecting
an obviously great investment of time by the author. I therefore suggested
to Professor Kaminskii that an English version would be a useful addition to
the Western literature. I was very happy later to learn that this would indeed
be possible, through the cooperation of Dr. H. Lotsch of Springer-Verlag.
Professor Kaminskii also decided in the English edition to enlarge certain
sections and to bring the text, tables and references up to date.
I was provided a rough English version of the text. The task I set myself
was to produce from this a readable and understandable text, as weIl as to
correct (with the agreement of the author) some mistakes and typographical
errors that had crept in. I ho pe that I have succeeded in this. However, I have
made no attempt to make the material read as though I had written it. Rather,
it seemed to me preferable that the text retain some of the flavor of the
original version.
Monroeville, Pennsylvania, August 1980 HENRY F. IVEy1
1 Westinghouse Electric Corporation Pittsburgh, PA 15235, USA