Improved Hardness of Single-Crystal rm Nd 3 + : rm YAG to Ionizing Radiation via Co-Doping with rm Cr 3

The proliferation of optical elements in systems that are subject to harsh ionizing radiation environments prompts the need for commercially available radiation-hard materials, such as laser materials. In the present study, changes in the material optical absorption are compared for a suite of single-crystal YAG, rm Nd 3 + : rm YAG , and rm Cr 3 + , rm Nd 3 + : rm YAG laser materials in response to high-dose-rate gamma radiation events. It is found that the addition of rm Cr 3 + yields radiation hardened material.