Anti-Stokes laser cooling in bulk Erbium-doped materials

TL;DR

This paper reports the first observation of anti-Stokes laser cooling in Erbium-doped bulk materials, demonstrating their potential for solid-state cooling applications through experimental evidence and efficiency analysis.

Contribution

It presents the first experimental demonstration of anti-Stokes laser cooling in Erbium-doped crystals and glasses, expanding the understanding of solid-state cooling mechanisms.

Findings

Successful observation of laser cooling in Er^{3+}:KPb_{2}Cl_{5} crystal.

Thermal imaging confirms bulk cooling effect.

Calculated cooling efficiencies indicate practical potential.

Abstract

We report the first observation of anti-Stokes laser-induced cooling in the Er^{3+}:KPb_{2}Cl_{5} crystal and in the Er^{3+}:CNBZn (CdF_{2}-CdCl_{2}-NaF-BaF_{2}-BaCl_{2}-ZnF_{2}) glass. The internal cooling efficiencies have been calculated by using photothermal deflection spectroscopy. Thermal scans acquired with an infrared thermal camera proved the bulk cooling capability of the studied samples. Implications of these results are discussed.