Electronic mechanism for refractive-index changes in intensively pumped Yb:YAG laser crystals.
Refractive-index changes accompanying changes in population of electronic levels of Yb3+ ions in a Yb:YAG laser disk under intense diode and laser pumping have been studied by use of both a highly sensitive polarization interferometer and transient grating testing at 633 nm. The electronic change of the index that is due to excitation of the Yb3+ ions (which have different polarizability of ground state 2F7/2 and excited level 2F5/2) is strongly predominant over the thermal component. The polarizability differences are deltap (1.9 +/- 0.8) x 10(-26) and (1.95 +/- 0.25) x 10(-26) cm3 as measured at 633 nm in interferometric and transient grating experiments, respectively.
Institute of Applied Physics of the Russian Academy of Science, 46 Uljanov Street, Nizhny Novgorod 603950, Russia. antipov@appl.sci-nnov.ru
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Antipov
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Bredikhin
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Eremeykin
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Savikin
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Ivakin
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Sukhadolau