The spectral properties of the 1S0 state in SrAl12O19:Pr

In this Letter we report the spectral properties of the Pr3+ S-1(0) state in SrAl12O19. The S-1(0) level was observed directly in the excitation spectrum, its position was determined to be 46490 +/- 10 cm(-1). The estimated H-3(4) --> S-1(0) absorption cross section is 5.3 x 10(-20) cm(2). The lifetime of the S-1(0) excited state is 658 ns. The main opposite parity component mixed into 4f(2 1)S(0) is from the 4f(1)5d F-1(3) and H-1(5) spectral terms. The transitions from S-1(0) to 4f(2 1)G(4) and F-3(4) are zero-phonon transition dominated, while the transition from S-1(0) to I-1(6) is vibronic in nature. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.