Optical spectroscopy of Nd3+ in KLa(MoO4)2 crystals

The optical properties of KLa(MoO4)(2) crystals doped with Nd3+ are investigated at temperatures in the range 10-300 K. The spontaneous transition probabilities, the branching ratios, and the radiative lifetime are calculated in the framework of the Judd-Ofelt theory and compared with the experimental results for the F-4(3/2) emitting level. Moreover, the observed splittings of the multiplets are reliably reproduced by a crystal-field calculation The structural disorder of this crystal causes a substantial broadening of the emission bands. This fact and the high emission cross-section values obtained for the emission from the F-4(3/2) multiplet indicate KLM:Nd as a possible active medium for tunable laser operation. (C) 1999 Optical Society of America [S0740-3224(99)01110-8].