Investigation of J – J “mixing” mechanism influence on optical and magnetooptical properties of praseodymium yttrium-aluminum garnet PrYAG

Abstract The spectra of the luminescence and magnetic circular polarization of luminescence (MCPL) in the praseodymium yttrium garnet aluminate Pr 3+ :YAG (PrYAG) have been studied within the visible spectral range at temperature T = 300 K. Analysis of the spectral dependences of the magnetooptical and optical spectra has made it possible to identify the optical 4 f → 4 f transitions occurring between the Stark sublevels of the 3 P 0 , 3 P 1 and 3 H 5 , 3 H 6 multiplets in PrYAG. It has been shown that for this paramagnetic garnet in the MCPL degree spectrum for the “green” luminescence band associated with forbidden 4 f → 4 f transitions 3 P 0 → 3 H 5 within the visible spectral range, a significant role is being played by the effect of quantum mechanical J - J “mixing” of the energy states of Stark singlets of the 3 H 5 and 3 H 6 multiplets of the non-Kramers rare-earth (RE) Pr 3+ ion. A parameterized Hamiltonian defined to operate within the entire 4 f (2) ground electronic configuration of Pr 3+ was used to model the experimental Stark levels, their irreducible representations (irreps.) and wavefunctions. Nine independent CF parameters, B q k , were optimized using standard least-squares fitting between calculated and experimental levels. The final fitting standard deviation between 61 calculated-to-experimental levels is 17.86 cm –1 .