SATURATION OF 1.064 MU-M ABSORPTION IN CR,CA-Y3AL5O12 CRYSTALS

Saturation absorption experiments are conducted on the title compound at 1.064 mum with laser light propagating along both the [001] and [111] crystallographic axes. Rotation of the crystals about these axes during the experiments reveals that the transmission of the polarized 1.064 mum radiation is highly anisotropic in the saturation regime. The details of the anisotropy and saturation curves are explained using a simple model of subsets of optical centers along with a relevant set of rate equations. The ground and excited-state absorption cross sections at 1.064 mum are calculated to be sigma(gs) = 5.7 (+/- 2) X 10(-18) cm2 and sigma(es) = 8 (+/- 2) X 10(-19) cm2 , respectively, and the optimum crystallographic orientation for utilization in optical devices is discussed.