Excited state absorption and stimulated emission of Nd3+ in crystals.: Part 2:: YVO4, GdVO4, and Sr5(PO4)3F

We measured the excited state absorption and simulated stimulated emission of the Nd3+ ion in the crystals YVO4, GdVO4, and Sr-5(PO4)(3)F. The measurements were performed in the spectral region of the main laser transitions F-4(3/2) --> I-4(9/2), F-4(3/2) --> I-4(11/2), and F-4(3/2) --> I-4(13/2) by a continuous wave pump and probe technique. The calibrated gain and ESA spectra are presented and possible implications of ESA on the laser performance are estimated. It is shown that ESA can be a small loss factor to the laser emission near 1060 nm but does considerably diminish the effective emission cross sections near 1340 nm especially in Nd:YVO4 and Nd:GdVO4.