Measurement of excited-state-absorption loss for Ce3+ in Y3Al5O12 and implications for tunable 5 d →4 f rare-earth lasers

Broad bandwidth 5d→4f transitions in Ce3+ have been considered for tunable laser action. In this letter, optical probe measurements of excited Ce3+ ions in Y3Al5O12 show that stimulated emission in the 550–610-nm region is not possible at 295 K because of excited-state absorption. Transient measurements demonstrate that part of this loss has ≈75-ns lifetime and is associated with absorption from the lowest 5d level; a longer-lifetime loss is also observed. The excited-state-absorption loss is reduced at lower temperatures.