Temperature dependence of Cr:CYA effective emission cross-section

A high-quality Cr:CYA (Cr:CaYAlO4) single crystal fiber was grown by mu-PD (Micro-Pulling-Down) method. The E//a and E//c polarized excitation spectra of Cr:CYA at room temperature was measured. The crystal field parameters were calculated and the energy level structure of Cr:CYA was analyzed. We also measured the po-larization emission spectra and lifetimes at different temperatures and calculated the effective emission cross-section. Based on the above data and Boltzmann law, the thermal distribution between the excited energy levels 2E and 4A2 at different temperatures was analyzed. The present work may be useful for guiding laser research on Cr:CYA and other Cr3+-doped laser crystals above room temperature.