Polarized emission and absorption cross-section calculation in LiNbO3:Tm3+

Absorption and emission cross-sections are essential spectroscopic parameters that determine the performance of rare-earth solid state lasers and amplifiers. A precise characterization of such parameters is of great interest in order to proceed with the necessary optimization stage which will assure the development of photonic devices with high efficiency. In particular, in order to model Tm3+ infrared lasers under 800 nm pumping, the absorption and emission cross-sections associated with optical transitions involving the H-3(4) and F-3(4) manifolds are needed. In this work, the classical McCumber theory is applied to evaluate the polarized absorption and emission cross-sections of Tm3+ ions in LiNbO3. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.