Photonics Research, 2018, 6 (2): 02000144, Published Online: Jul. 10, 2018
Valence state manipulation of Sm3+ ions via a phase-shaped femtosecond laser field
Abstract
The ability to manipulate the valence state conversion of rare-earth ions is crucial for their applications in color displays, optoelectronic devices, laser sources, and optical memory. The conventional femtosecond laser pulse has been shown to be a well-established tool for realizing the valence state conversion of rare-earth ions, although the valence state conversion efficiency is relatively low. Here, we first propose a femtosecond laser pulse shaping technique for improving the valence state conversion efficiency of rare-earth ions. Our experimental results demonstrate that the photoreduction efficiency from Sm 3 + to Sm 2 + in Sm 3 + -doped sodium aluminoborate glass using a π phase step modulation can be comparable to that using a transform-limited femtosecond laser field, while the peak laser intensity is decreased by about 63%, which is very beneficial for improving the valence state conversion efficiency under the laser-induced damage threshold of the glass sample. Furthermore, we also theoretically develop a (2 + 1 ) resonance-mediated three-photon absorption model to explain the modulation of the photoreduction efficiency from Sm 3 + to Sm 2 + under the π -shaped femtosecond laser field.
Ye Zheng, Yunhua Yao, Lianzhong Deng, Wenjing Cheng, Jianping Li, Tianqing Jia, Jianrong Qiu, Zhenrong Sun, Shian Zhang. Valence state manipulation of Sm3+ ions via a phase-shaped femtosecond laser field[J]. Photonics Research, 2018, 6(2): 02000144.