3 Rare-Earth Ions and Fiber Laser Fundamentals
3.1 Introduction
This chapter is concerned with the physical properties of rare-earth ions for application to fiber lasers. The working principle of rare-earth doped fiber laser is based on the interesting properties of rare-earth ions. The most important of these properties is their relatively long metastable lifetime, which allows achieving stimulated emission very easily. The properties of rare-earth ions are a consequence of their atomic structure. For this reason, the atomic structure of rare-earth atoms will be presented first. Energy levels, intensities of transitions, influence of the solid host on these transitions will be derived from well-known quantum ...
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