Hole-Burning Study of Optical Heating in Low-Temperature Glasses,
Abstract
Zero-phonon lines (ZPL) in the spectra of impurities in solids are extremely narrow and intense. Due to these unique features, an impurity - guest can serve as a very sensitive probe of both the quasistatic structural disorder (inhomogeneous broadening) and dynamical processes (homogeneous broadening) in the matrix - host). Site selective high resolution spectroscopy, in particular, persistent hole burning, can be successfully used to remove inhomogeneous broadening and can provide useful information about relaxation and propagation of elementary excitations iii solids. For glasses at low temperatures actual excitations are phonons and two-level systems) (TLS). The following properties of the persistent hole in the pure-electronic absorption band of an impurity introduced in a glassy matrix should be mentioned in this respect: (1) at low temperatures the width is determined mainly by the electron-TLS interaction; (2) the hole intensity and width are highly sensitive to external perturbations, particularly, to thermal ones; (3) the optical dephasing time is usually shorter than and spectral diffusion time is usually longer than the typical times determining the thermalization processes in glasses. Therefore, the hole spectra can be used as a suitable 'intrinsic thermometer' in time-resolved studies.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 22, 1992
- Accession Number
- ADP008300
Entities
People
- A. A. Gorokhovskii
- A. L. Stolovich
- G. S. Zavt
- V. V. Palm
Organizations
- City College of New York