37 research outputs found

    Laser cooling of solids to cryogenic temperatures

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    Laser radiation has been used to cool matter ranging from dilute gases to micromechanical oscillators. In Doppler cooling of gases, the translational energy of atoms is lowered through interaction with a laser field(1,2). Recently, cooling of a high-density gas through collisional redistribution of radiation has been demonstrated(3). In laser cooling of solids, heat is removed through the annihilation of lattice vibrations in the process of anti-Stokes fluorescence(4-6). Since its initial observation in 1995, research(7-15) has led to achieving a temperature of 208 K in ytterbium-doped glass(16). In this Letter, we report laser cooling of ytterbium-doped LiYF(4) crystal to a temperature of similar to 155 K starting from ambient, with a cooling power of 90 mW. This is achieved by making use of the Stark manifold resonance in a crystalline host, and demonstrates the lowest temperature achieved to date without the use of cryogens or mechanical refrigeration. Optical refrigeration has entered the cryogenic regime, surpassing the performance of multi-stage Peltier coolers

    Optical refrigeration to 119 K, below National Institute of Standards and Technology cryogenic temperature

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    We report on bulk optical refrigeration of Yb:YLF crystal to a temperature of ∼124 K, starting from the ambient. This is achieved by pumping the E4-E5 Stark multiplet transition at ∼1020 nm. A lower temperature of 119 +/- 1 K (∼ − 154C) with available cooling power of 18 mW is attained when the temperature of the surrounding crystal is reduced to 210 K. This result is within only a few degrees of the minimum achievable temperature of our crystal and signifies the bulk solid-state laser cooling below the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)- defined cryogenic temperature of 123 K. © 2013 Optical Society of Americ

    Laser cooling of a semiconductor load to 165 K

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    We demonstrate cooling of a 2 micron thick GaAs/InGaP double-heterostructure to 165 K from ambient using an all-solid-state optical refrigerator. Cooler is comprised of Yb(3+)-doped YLF crystal, utilizing 3.5 Watts of absorbed power near the E4-E5 Stark manifold transition. (C) 2010 Optical Society of Americ

    Precise determination of minimum achievable temperature for solid-state optical refrigeration

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    We measure the minimum achievable temperature (MAT) as a function of excitation wavelength in anti-Stokes fluorescence cooling of high purity Yb3+-doped LiYF4 (Yb:YLF) crystal. Such measurements were obtained by developing a sensitive noncontact thermometry that is based on a two-band differential luminescence spectroscopy using balanced photo-detectors. These measurements are in excellent agreement with the prediction of the laser cooling model and identify MAT of 110 K at 1020 nm, corresponding to E4–E5 Stark manifold transition in Yb:YLF crystal

    Local laser cooling of Yb:YLF to 110 K

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    Minimum achievable temperature of similar to 110 K is measured in a 5% doped Yb:YLF crystal at lambda = 1020 nm, corresponding to E4-E5 resonance of Stark manifold. This measurement is in excellent agreement with the laser cooling model and was made possible by employing a novel and sensitive implementation of differential luminescence thermometry using balanced photo-detectors. (C) 2011 Optical Society of Americ

    Optical refrigeration progress: Cooling below NIST cryogenic temperature of 123K

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    We have achieved cryogenic optical refrigeration with a record low temperature in optical refrigeration by cooling 5% wt.Yb:YLF crystal to 119K ± 1K (∼-154 C) at l=1020 nm corresponding to its E4-E5 Stark manifold resonance with an estimated cooling power of 18 mW. This demonstration confirms the predicted minimum achievable temperature (MAT). Further cooling is achievable as shown by measurements of a doping study where a 10% wt. Yb:YLF crystal with reduced parasitic heating has predicted cooling below 100K (∼-173K). © 2013 SPIE
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