Materials for Optical Cryocoolers
Abstract
Vibration-free cooling of detectors to cryogenic temperatures is critical for many terrestrial, airborne, and space-based instruments. Cooling of solids by anti-Stokes fluorescence is an emerging refrigeration technology that is inherently vibration-free and compact, and enables cooling of small loads to cryogenic temperatures. In this Highlight, advances in laser-cooling of solids are discussed with a particular focus on the recent breakthrough laser cooling of Yb3+-doped YLiF4 crystals to 114 K. The importance of the material structure, composition, and purity of laser-cooling materials and their influence on the optical refrigerator device performance is emphasized.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 07, 2013
- Accession Number
- ADA603121
Entities
People
- Denis V. Seletskiy
- Mansoor Sheik-bahae
- Markus P Hehlen
- Richard I. Epstein
- Seth D. Melgaard
Organizations
- University of New Mexico