Abstract

Rare earth ions (RE) with optically activated 4f electrons present sharp spectral transitions in condensed matter due to the shielding of the 4f electrons by the outer 5s5p electrons. The “quantum dot" nature of RE makes them ideal for the study of condensed matter structures and dynamics. In this communication, we report on the fluorescence excitation spectra and the coherent femtosecond (fs) dynamics regarding the single ion and pair-transitions in Er:YAG at 77K. We further apply fs interferometric techniques to control the single ion and ions-pair emissions.

© 2000 IEEE