SPECTRAL, LUMINESCENCE, AND LASING PROPERTIES OF Nd3 + IONS IN SYSTEMS UTILIZING GaCl3-SOCl2 AND AlCl3-SOCl2 INORGANIC LIQUID MEDIA.

An investigation is made of the absorption and luminescence spectra and of the decay kinetics of the **4F//3/////2 metastable level of the Nd**3** plus ion in the GaCl//3-SOCl//2 concentration series and in an AlCl//3-SOCl//2:Nd**3** plus sample at temperatures of 300, 77, and 4. 2 degree K. It is established that in GaCl//3-SOCl//2 and AlCl//3-SOCl//2 systems the neodymium ions form several types of activator centers corresponding to different structures of the nearest coordination spheres of the neodymium ion, which is a complexing agent. The phenomenological Judd-Ofelt model is used to calculate the most important characteristics of the radiative transitions of the Nd**3** plus ion in a GaCl//3-SOCl//2-NdCl//3 system. Lasing at 1. 058 mu with a threshold of 0. 5 J/cm was obtained in a GaCl//3-SOCl//2 system.