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We demonstrate efficient continuous-wave (CW) and passively Q-switched Tm:LiLuF(4) laser operation near 1.9 μm. The CW slope efficiency reached 54.8% with respect to absorbed power. Stable passive Q-switching with Cr(2+):ZnS saturable absorbers resulted in minimum pulse duration of 7.6 ns and maximum pulse energy and peak power of 1.26 mJ and 166 kW, respectively.

A diode-end-pumped passively mode-locked femtosecond Tm-doped calcium lithium niobium gallium garnet (Tm:CLNGG) disordered crystal laser was demonstrated for the first time to our knowledge. With a 790 nm laser diode pumping, stable CW mode-locking operation was obtained by using a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror. The disordered crystal laser generated mode-locked pulses as short as 479 fs, with an average output power of 288 mW, and repetition rate of 99 MHz in 2 μm spectral region., (© 2012 Optical Society of America)

Triply ionized thulium/thulium--ytterbium doped/codoped TeO2-Pb3O4 (TPO) glasses have been fabricated by classical quenching method. The upconversion emission spectra in the Tm3+/Tm3+-Yb3+ doped/codoped glasses upon excitation with a diode laser lasing at ∼980 nm has been studied. Effect of the addition of the Yb3+ on the upconversion emission intensity in the visible and near infrared regions of the Tm3+ doped in TPO glass has been studied and the processes involved explored., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

We demonstrate an all-fiber Q-switched laser operation in the 2 µm region on the basis of a dynamic periodic microbend and pulsed-pump configuration. A single-mode thulium-doped silica fiber is pumped by 1.6 µm-band laser diodes, and the dynamic loss is introduced in the fiber ring resonator by the periodic microbend that is electrically controlled with a piezoelectric actuator. When the voltage-off period of the piezoelectric actuator is set at 20 µs for the pump power of 120 mW, the output pulse power is measured by 420 mW with a pulse width of 1.3 µs.

Laser experiments were performed on buried, ridge-type channel waveguides in an 8 at. % thulium-doped, yttrium-gadolinium-lutetium codoped monoclinic double tungstate. A maximum slope efficiency of 70% and output powers up to 300 mW about 2.0 μm were obtained in a mirrorless laser resonator, by pumping with a Ti:sapphire laser near 800 nm. To the best of our knowledge, this result represents the most efficient 2 μm channel waveguide laser to date. Lasing is obtained at various wavelengths between 1810 nm and 2037 nm., (© 2012 Optical Society of America)

Synthesis and spectral fluorescent features of the thulium-doped BiB(3)O(6) glasses are presented. All spectra were recorded using a pulsed (pulse energy ca. 1μJ, pulse duration 10ns) 355nm third harmonic of 10kHz Nd:YAG laser as an excitation source. A laser beam was focused in a backscattering geometry onto about 1mm(2) spot on the surface of a sample. The Andor SR-303i spectrograph equipped with an Andor DH-501 intensified charge coupled device with spectral resolution up to 1nm was used as a spectra recorder. The time-resolution of this system can be as low as 5ns. The decay kinetics was derived from integrated time-resolved spectra. Additionally the absorption and excitation spectra were measured. The main parameters of the Judd-Ofelt analysis were calculated and comparison of the obtained results with corresponding data for other materials was carried out., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Cross-sections of proton induced nuclear reactions on (169)Tm were measured in the 20-45MeV energy range using the standard stacked-foil irradiation technique and high resolution gamma-ray spectroscopy. Experimental cross-sections and derived integral yields are reported for the production of (169,167,166)Yb and (168,167,166)Tm radioisotopes. The experimental data are analysed and compared to results of the earlier measurements and the theoretical model codes ALICE-IPPE, EMPIRE and TALYS. Application of the new cross-sections to the production of the (167)Tm medical radioisotope is discussed., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In this paper we calculated, for the first time to the best of our knowledge, the cross relaxation parameter of Tm(3+) ions in tellurite glasses over a wide range of concentrations: from 0.36 mol% up to 10 mol%. A new measurement approach based on emission spectra monitoring is proposed. This method is very simple and allows to measure even very highly doped samples. The obtained values of cross-relaxation parameter show a linear dependence with respect to dopant concentration over the full investigated interval, suggesting a dipole-dipole interaction process. The measured slope is 1.81x10(-17) cm(3) s(-1) mol%(-1).

Structural and near-infrared (NIR) emission properties were investigated in the Tm(3+)-Dy(3+) codoped Ge-Ga-based amorphous chalcohalide films fabricated by pulsed laser deposition. The homogeneous films illustrated similar random network to the glass target according to the measurements of X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. An 808 nm laser diode pumping generated a superbroadband NIR emission ranging from 1050 to 1570 nm and the other intense broadband NIR emission centered at ~1800 nm, which was attributed to the efficient energy transfer from Tm(3+) to Dy(3+) ions. This was further verified by the broad-range excitation measurements near the Urbach optical-absorption edge involved defect states. The results shed light on the potential highly integrated planar optical device applications of the codoped amorphous chalcohalide films.

The structural origin and laser performance of thulium-doped germanate glasses have been studied. The investigation includes two main sections. The first part discusses the Raman spectroscopic and thermal stability of the host glass structure. The low value of the largest phonon energy (850 cm(-1)) reduces the probability of nonradiative relaxation. The large emission cross section of the Tm(3+) : (3)F(4) level (8.69 × 10(-21) cm(2)), the high quantum efficiency of the (3)F(4) level (71%), and the low nonradiative relaxation rate of the (3)F(4) → (3)H(6) transition (0.09 ms(-1)) illustrate good optical properties of the germanate glass. In the second part, the room-temperature laser action from the thulium-doped germanate glass is demonstrated when pumped by a 790 nm laser diode. The maximum output power of 346 mW and slope efficiency of 25.6% are achieved.

In vitro or in vivo bioimaging utilizing the upconversion (UC) luminescence of rare earth fluoride nanocrystals (NCs) has attracted much attention, especially for Yb(3+)/Tm(3+) doped NCs with a near-infrared (NIR) UC emission at 800 nm. Herein, water-soluble NaYF(4):Yb,Tm NCs with strong NIR UC emission were synthesized with a solvothermal method. In vitro and in vivo bioimaging and toxicity assessments were carried out with HeLa cell and Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) cases, respectively. NaYF(4):Yb,Tm NCs afforded an efficient NIR image of the HeLa cells with an incubation concentration of 10 μg mL(-1), and CCK-8 assay revealed a low cytotoxicity. Fed with Escherichia coli (E. coli) and NCs together, the C. elegans showed a NIR image in the gut from the pharynx to the anus. Further, these NCs could be excreted out when those worms were then fed with only E. coli. Toxicity studies were further addressed with protein expression, life span, egg production, egg viability, and growth rate of the worms in comparison with those of the intact ones. The feeding of rare earth fluoride NCs with a dose of 100 μg does not arise obvious toxicity effect from the growth to procreation. The in vitro and in vivo studies confirm that NaYF(4):Yb,Tm NCs could be served as an excellent NIR emission bioprobe with low toxicity., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In this study, we report on the remarkable two-photon excited fluorescence efficiency in the "biological window" of CaF(2):Tm(3+),Yb(3+) nanoparticles. On the basis of the strong Tm(3+) ion emission (at around 800 nm), tissue penetration depths as large as 2 mm have been demonstrated, which are more than 4 times those achievable based on the visible emissions in comparable CaF(2):Er(3+),Yb(3+) nanoparticles. The outstanding penetration depth, together with the fluorescence thermal sensitivity demonstrated here, makes CaF(2):Tm(3+),Yb(3+) nanoparticles ideal candidates as multifunctional nanoprobes for high contrast and highly penetrating in vivo fluorescence imaging applications., (© 2011 American Chemical Society)

We describe lasing of a thulium-doped polarizing photonic crystal fiber. A 4 m long fiber with 50 μm diameter core, 250 μm diameter cladding, and d/Λ ratio of 0.18 was pumped with a 793 nm diode and produced a polarized output with a polarization extinction ratio (PER) of 15 dB and an M(2) of <1.15. An intracavity polarizer and half-wave plate minimally increased the PER to 16 dB. The output power had 35% slope efficiency relative to the absorbed pump power. The maximum cw output power was limited to 4 W due to the quantum defect heating of the fiber., (© 2011 Optical Society of America)

This Letter reports intense emission at 2.7 μm and broadband emission at 2.0 μm from Er(3+)/Tm(3+)/Ho(3+)-doped fluorophosphate glass. The fluorescence characteristics and energy transfer upon excitation of a conventional 980 nm laser diode are investigated. Based on the fluorescence spectra and lifetime measurement, the effect of Tm(3+) and Ho(3+) ions on intense 2.7 μm emission in fluorophosphate glass is demonstrated. It is also found that the effective bandwidth of 2.0 μm emission due to Tm(3+) and Ho(3+) ions can reach as high as 196 nm. These results indicate that the advantageous spectroscopic characteristics of Er(3+)/Tm(3+)/Ho(3+) triply doped fluorophosphate glass together with the outstanding thermal properties may become an attractive host for the mid-IR solid state lasers., (© 2011 Optical Society of America)

A new multiplexed NIR in vivo imaging is showcased by using quantum dots and NaYF(4):Yb(3+),Tm(3+) nanoparticles. The 'temporal' multiplexing is demonstrated by alternating the excitation wavelengths and unmixing the emissions of different probes. Multiplexed cellular imaging and the cellular trafficking in animal models are shown.

We report an efficient laser-diode-pumped Tm-doped LuVO₄ crystal laser at about 1.9 μm. For the first time to our knowledge, the π-polarized Tm:LuVO₄ laser was achieved. The maximum output power and slope efficiency were 1.32 W and 28.7%, respectively. By comparison, it has been found that the a-cut Tm:LuVO₄ crystal should be more suitable for applications in high-power lasers. The central laser wavelength was observed to be located at about 1.9 μm and shifted to shorter with the increase of intracavity light intensity, which could be explained based on the reabsorption of light in the Tm:LuVO₄ crystal.

Paramagnetic chemical exchange saturation transfer (PARACEST) contrast agents are under development for biological target identification by magnetic resonance imaging. Image contrast associated with PARACEST agents can be generated by radiofrequency irradiation of the chemically shifted protons bound to a PARACEST contrast agent molecule or by direct irradiation of the on-resonance bulk water protons. The observed signal change in a magnetic resonance image after the administration of a PARACEST contrast agent is due to both altered relaxation time constants and the CEST effect. Despite high sensitivity in vitro, PARACEST agents have had limited success in vivo where sensitivity is reduced by the magnetization transfer effect from endogenous macromolecules. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the in vivo detection of a PARACEST contrast agent using the on-resonance paramagnetic chemical exchange effect (OPARACHEE) in a mouse glioblastoma multiforme tumor model and to isolate the OPARACHEE effect from the changes in relaxation induced by the PARACEST agent. Three mice with tumors were imaged on a 9.4 T MRI scanner following tail vein injection of 150 μL 50 mM Tm(3+)-DOTAM-glycine-lysine. A fast low angle shot pulse sequence with a low power radiofrequency pulse train (WALTZ-16) as the preparation pulse was used to generate OPARACHEE contrast. To study the dynamics of agent uptake, reference images (without the preparation pulse) and OPARACHEE images were acquired continuously in an alternating fashion before, during and after agent injection. Signal intensity decreased by more than 10% in tumor in the control images after agent administration. Despite these changes, a clear OPARACHEE contrast of 1-5% was also observed in brain tumors after contrast agent injection and maintained in the hour following injection. This result is the first in vivo observation of OPARACHEE contrast in brain tumors with correction of T(1) and T(2) relaxation effects., (Copyright © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

A simple technique for transverse mode selection in a large-mode-area (multimode) fiber laser is described. The technique exploits the different spectral responses of feedback elements based on a fiber Bragg grating and a volume Bragg grating to achieve wavelength-dependent mode filtering. This approach has been applied to a cladding-pumped thulium-doped fiber laser with a multimode core to achieve a single-spatial-mode output beam with a beam propagation factor (M2) of 1.05 at 1923 nm. Without mode selection the free-running fiber laser has a multimode output beam with an M2 parameter of 3.3. Selective excitation of higher order modes is also possible via the technique and preliminary results for laser oscillation on the LP11 mode are also discussed along with the prospects for scaling to higher power levels.

A novel all-fiber laser based on a highly GeO2-doped dispersion-shifted Tm-codoped fiber, pumped at 1.56 µm wavelength and lasing at 1.862 µm wavelength with a slope efficiency up to 37% was demonstrated. The single-mode Tm-doped fiber with the 55GeO2-45SiO2 core was fabricated for the first time by MCVD technique. The laser produces spectral side bands, resulting from the four-wave mixing owing to the shift of the zero-dispersion-wavelength of the fiber to the laser wavelength, thus, making it potentially particularly attractive for dispersion management and ultrashort pulse generation.

We report on the first diode-pumped laser operation of thulium-doped Lu2O3. With a very compact setup an output power of 75 W and slope efficiencies of around 40% with respect to the incident pump power were achieved at room temperature. Free running laser operation was observed at wavelengths of 2065 nm and 1965 nm. With a birefringent filter the wavelength could continuously be tuned from 1922 nm to 2134 nm. The thermal conductivity of Tm:Lu2O3 was measured for different dopant concentrations and is compared to the one of thulium-doped YAG.

Thulium hexacyanoferrate (TmHCF) nanoparticles (NPs) were in situ synthesized within the chitosan film on the electrode surface by a biocatalyzed reaction. The properties of the obtained nanoparticles are characterized with scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX). The optimized conditions for the formation of TmHCF NPs were 16 mM Fe(CN)(6)(3-) and 1.5 mM Tm(3+) with an accumulation time of 20 min. Based on process of in situ synthesis of TmHCF NPs, a novel biosensor for glucose was designed, and there is a linear relationship between the current response of TmHCF NPs and glucose concentration. The linear range for glucose detection was 0.02-0.4 mM (r=0.9975, n=5) and 0.4-13.6 mM (r=0.9935, n=10) and the detection limit was 6 μM at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

As part of our systematic comparison of (p,n) and (d,2n) reactions, the excitation functions of the (167)Er(d,2n)(167)Tm production reaction and reactions leading to Tm radio-impurities were investigated up to 20 MeV. A stacked foil irradiation technique and γ-ray spectroscopy is used. The measured excitation functions are compared with results of ALICE-D, EMPIRE-D and TALYS reaction model codes and with data from our earlier investigations on natural Er. Thick target yields and contamination levels are discussed. A comparison with other charged particle production routes for (167)Tm shows that deuteron induced reactions are not competitive., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A compact upconversion fiber laser operating around 810 nm is proposed using thulium-doped silica-based fiber with locally modified thulium environment by high alumina codoping. Using a comprehensive numerical model of thulium doped fiber we investigate performance of the proposed laser. Comparison with two other thulium hosts, fluoride glass and standard silica, is presented. Efficient lasing can be expected even for silica based fiber for specific ranges of the fiber and laser cavity parameters, especially when 3H4 lifetime is enhanced. With moderate pump power of 5 W at wavelength of 1064 nm, the predicted output power of the upconversion laser is about 2 W at 810 nm.

High-quality monoclinic planar waveguide crystals of Tm-doped KY(WO4)2 codoped with Gd3+ and Lu3+ were grown by liquid-phase epitaxy. For the first time, planar waveguide lasing was demonstrated in a monolithic cavity in the 2 µm spectral range. The laser was operated in the Q-switched mode using a Cr2+:ZnSe crystal as saturable absorber and in the continuous-wave regimes. The Q-switched planar waveguide laser delivered pulse energies up to 120 nJ at a repetition rate of 7 kHz.

We report on photoluminescence in the 1.7-2.1 μm range of silicon doped with thulium. This is achieved by the implantation of Tm into silicon that has been codoped with boron to reduce the thermal quenching. At least six strong lines can be distinguished at 80 K; at 300 K, the spectrum is dominated by the main emission at 2 μm. These emissions are attributed to the trivalent Tm(3+) internal transitions between the first excited state and the ground state.

Lanthanide (Ln3+) doped KGdF4 (Ln=Yb3+, Er3+, Ho3+, Tm3+) nanocrystals with a mean diameter of approximately 12 nm were synthesized by a hydrothermal method using oleic acid as a stabilizing agent at 180 °C. The nanocrystals crystallize in the cubic phase as α-NaGdF4. When excited by a 980 nm laser, these Ln3+ doped nanocrystals exhibit multicolor up-conversion (UC) emissions in red, yellow, blue and white. The calculated color coordinates demonstrate that white UC emission (CIE-X=0.352, CIE-Y=0.347) can be obtained by varying the dopant concentrations in the Yb3+/Ho3+/Tm3+ triply-doped nanocrystals to yield different RGB emission intensities. The measured field dependence of magnetization (M-H curves) of the KGdF4 nanocrystals shows their paramagnetic characteristics that can be ascribed to the non-interacting localized nature of the magnetic moment of Gd3+ ions. Moreover, low temperature thermal treatment can enhance UC properties, magnetization and magnetic mass susceptibility of Ln3+ doped KGdF4 nanocrystals. The multifunctional Ln3+ doped KGdF4 nanocrystals have potential applications in color displays, bioseparation, and optical-magnetic dual modal nanoprobes in biomedical imaging.

Ytterbium doped fiber lasers are known to be impacted by the creation of color centers during lasing so called photodarkening. This defect creation was investigated in a spectroscopic point of view, showing the presence of thulium traces (ppb) in the ytterbium doped fiber. Moreover, this contamination exhibit luminescence in the UV range under 976 nm excitation of the ytterbium-doped fiber. In adding more thulium to an ytterbium-doped fiber it was shown that thulium strongly impact the defects creation process, involved in photodarkening.

We report synthesis of new single-source heterometallic precursors [NaLn(TFA)(4)(diglyme)] (Ln = Y, Er, Tm, Yb; TFA = trifluoroacetate), which decompose in 1-octadecene at significantly low temperature, without using any surfactant or capping reagent, to give sub-50 nm particles of cubic and/or hexagonal NaYF(4) : Yb(3+), Er(3+)/Tm(3+) materials forming well-dispersed colloidal solutions in dichloromethane and exhibiting green/blue upconversion luminescence.

We demonstrate all-fiber passively Q-switched erbium lasers at 1570 nm using Tm(3+)-doped saturable-absorber fibers. The absorption cross section of a Tm(3+)-doped fiber at 1570 nm was measured in a bleaching experiment to be about 1.44 x 10(-20) cm(2). With a thulium-doped fiber, sequential pulses with a pulse energy of 9 microJ and a pulse duration of about 420 ns were stably produced at repetition rates in the range 0.1 to 2 kHz. The maximum pulse repetition rate was 6 kHz, limited by the maximum pump power of a 980-nm laser diode, about 230 mW., ((c) 2010 Optical Society of America.)

Automatic upgrade: attachment of gold nanoparticles (NPs) onto upconversion nanocrystals (NCs) results in plasmonic interactions that lead to a significant enhancement of upconversion emission of more than 2.5. Conversely, formation of a gold shell greatly suppresses the NC emission because of considerable scattering of excitation irradiation (see picture; a=NC before seed attachment; b, c=NC with attached Au NPs; c=NC with Au shell; scale bar=50 nm)., (Copyright © 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

(167)Tm is a candidate radioisotope for both nuclear medicine diagnostics and therapy due to its emitted Auger-electrons, low energy X- and gamma-rays. In the frame of a systematic study of excitation functions for production of medically relevant radioisotopes by charged particle induced reactions on rare earths, the (165)Ho(alpha,2n)(167)Tm reaction and the (165)Ho(alpha,n)(168)Tm, (165)Ho(alpha,3n)(166)Tm, (165)Ho(alpha,4n)(165)Tm side reactions were measured up to 40 MeV by the stacked foil irradiation technique and gamma-ray spectroscopy. The measured results were compared to the ALICE-IPPE and EMPIRE-II theoretical curves. Thick target yields, impurity levels and specific activities were deduced and compared with the same parameters for other charged particle production routes of (167)Tm., (Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

(167)Tm (T(1/2)=9.25d) is a candidate radioisotope for medical therapy and diagnostics due to its Auger-electron and low-energy X- and gamma-ray emission. Excitation functions of the (167)Er(p,n)(167)Tm reaction and (168)Er(p,n)(168)Tm, (167)Er(p,2n)(166)Tm, (166)Er(p,2n)(165)Tm disturbing reactions were measured up to 15MeV by using the stacked foil irradiation technique and gamma-ray spectroscopy. The measured excitation functions agree well with the results of ALICE-IPPE, EMPIRE-II and TALYS nuclear reaction model codes. The thick target yield of (167)Tm in the 15-8MeV energy range is 6.9MBq/microAh. A short comparison of charged particle production routes of (167)Tm is given., (Copyright (c) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

We report a high power narrow-linewidth source at approximately 2 microm based on a Tm-doped fiber distributed-feedback master-oscillator and three Tm fiber amplifier stages. The master-oscillator and first two amplifier stages were in-band pumped by Er,Yb fiber lasers operating at 1565 nm, and the final stage amplifier was cladding-pumped at 795 nm by two spatially-combined diode-stacks. The MOPA yielded 100 W of single frequency output at 1943 nm with a beam propagation factor (M(2)) of 1.25 and with a polarization extinction ratio of >94%. The output power was limited by thermally-induced damage in the final amplifier stage. The prospects for further power scaling are considered.

Tm(3+):LaF(3) nanocrystals were synthesized with hydrothermal technique. Local-field effect on the radiative relaxation rate was studied in the system of Tm(3+):LaF(3) nanocrystals immersed in several liquid media. The fluorescence lifetime was measured. It was found that the fluorescence decay presented the characteristics of second-order exponential decay, for which the contribution from the ions inside the nanocrystal and ions at the interface of the nanocrystal were distinguished. Investigating the experimental results with proposed models, we found that the surface effect had to be eliminated. For rare earth doped LaF(3) nanocrystals, real-cavity model well explains the influence of surrounding medium on the fluorescence relaxation rate., (Copyright (c) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

We demonstrate the first gain-switched, singly doped, single-mode holmium-doped silicate glass fibre laser that operates at 2.106 microm. Using a gain-switched 1.909-microm thulium-doped fibre laser as the pump source, output pulses of energy 3.2 microJ and pulse duration of 150 ns were generated at 80 kHz and slope efficiency of 44%. Pulse stacking within the holmium-doped fibre laser resulted in significantly shorter 70 ns pulses.

Transparent glass ceramic containing BaF(2):Ho(3+),Tm(3+) nanocrystals has been prepared by melt quenching and subsequent thermal treatment. The precipitation of BaF(2) nanocrystals was confirmed by X-ray diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. Intense 2.0 microm fluorescence originating from Ho(3+): (5)I(7) --> (5)I(8) transition was achieved upon excitation with 808 nm laser diode. A large ratio of forward Tm(3+) --> Ho(3+) energy transfer constant to that of backward process indicated high efficient energy transfer from Tm(3+)((3)F(4)) to Ho(3+)((5)I(7)), benefited from the reduced ionic distances of Tm(3+)-Tm(3+) and Tm(3+)-Ho(3+) pairs and low phonon energy environment with the incorporation of rare-earth ions into the precipitated BaF(2) nanocrystals. The results indicate that glass ceramic is a promising candidate material for 2.0 microm laser.

We report the first demonstration, to our knowledge, of passive mode locking in a Tm(3+), Ho(3+)-codoped KY(WO(4))(2) laser operating in the 2000-2060 nm spectral region. An InGaAsSb-based quantum well semiconductor saturable absorber mirror is used for the initiation and stabilization of the ultrashort pulse generation. Pulses as short as 3.3 ps were generated at 2057 nm with average output powers up to 315 mW at a pulse repetition frequency of 132 MHz for 1.15 W of absorbed pump power at 802 nm from a Ti:sapphire laser.

Diode-end-pumped continuous-wave and acousto-optics Q-switched Tm:LiLuF(4) slab lasers were demonstrated. The a-cut Tm:LiLuF(4) slab with doping concentrations of 2 at.% was pumped by fast-axis collimated laser diodes at room temperature. The maximum continuous-wave output power of 10.4 W was obtained while the absorbed pump power was 31.6 W and the cavity length was 30 mm. For Q-switched operation, we got the maximum pulse energy of 8 mJ with pulse width of 315.2 ns at 1 KHz pulse repetition frequency., ((c) 2009 Optical Society of America)

Two serial Dy(3+)-doped and Dy(3+), Tm(3+)-codoped (100-x)(0.8GeS(2).0.2Ga(2)S(3)).xCdI(2) (0Dy(3+): 6H 11/2 energy transfer efficiency and intensified the mid-infrared emissions. The emission cross sections (sigma emi) of the 2900 and 4300 nm fluorescences were estimated to be 1.68 x 10(-20) and 1.20 x 10(-20)cm(2) respectively for the 0.2 wt% Dy(3+) and 0.5 wt% Tm(3+) codoped 64 GeS(2).16 Ga(2)S(3).20 CdI(2) glass. These novel chalcohalide glasses are promising candidate materials for fiber-amplifiers and mid-infrared laser devices.

Thermoluminescent dosimeters are well established for performing calibrations in radiotherapy and for monitoring dose to personnel exposed to low linear energy transfer (LET) ionizing radiation. Patients undergoing light ion therapy and astronauts engaged in space flight are, however, exposed to radiation fields consisting of a mix of low- and high-LET charged particles. In this study, glow curves from CaF2:Tm chips were examined after exposure to various electron and ion beams. The annealing and readout procedures for these chips were optimized for these beams. After a 10 min prereadout annealing at 100 degrees C, the optimized glow curve samples the light output between 95 and 335 degrees C with a heating rate of 2 degrees C/s. The ratio of the integral of the glow curve under peaks 4-6 to the integral under peak 3 was approximately 0.9 for electrons, 1.0 for entrance protons, 1.6 for peak protons, and 2.2 for entrance carbon, silicon, and iron ions. The integral light output per unit dose in water for the iron exposures was about half as much as for the electron exposures. The peak-area-ratio can be used to determine a dose response factor for different LET radiations.

Water-soluble and carboxyl-functionalized up-converting rare-earth nanoparticles (UCNPs) are obtained via an efficient surface-ligand-exchange procedure. Hexanedioic acid molecules are employed to replace the original hydrophobic ligands in diethylene glycol solvent at high temperature. Various characterizations indicate the ligand-exchange process has negligible adverse effect on the quality of the UCNPs. The resulting hydrophilic UCNPs show small size, strong up-converting emission and high water stability. The specific molecular recognition capacity of avidin-modified hydrophilic UCNPs confirms that hydrophilic UCNPs are suitable for potential biological labeling.

One-dimensional single crystalline rare earth ion (Tm(3+), Tb(+3), and Eu(3+)) doped Y (OH)(3) nanotubes with inner diameters of 20-110 nm, outer diameters of 50-140 nm, and 1-5 microm in length were prepared for the first time by a rapid hydrothermal method within a short reaction period (5 min) at subcritical temperature (320 degrees C) and high pressure (about 40 MPa). A temperature dependent nanostructure evolution study was performed under rapid hydrothermal conditions and the effects of other processing parameters such as concentration of KOH and reaction time were found to be key parameters for the formation of highly anisotropic crystal structures of rare earth hydroxide nanotubes. Rare earth ion (Tm(3+), Tb(+3), and Eu(3+)) doped Y(2)O(3) nanotubes can be obtained after calcinations above 450 degrees C. The luminescent property of rare earth doped Y(2)O(3) nanotubes was also explored and compared with reference samples prepared via a conventional co-precipitation method.

Introduction: Metastron ((89)SrCl(2)) is a radiopharmaceutical currently used for bone pain palliation in several countries since the long half-life of (89)Sr (50.5 days) favors wider distribution than other radioisotopes approved for this application, which have shorter half-lives. Strontium-89 is not ideal for bone pain palliation due to its high energy beta(-) particle emission [E(beta(max))=1.49 MeV] and is also difficult to produce in large quantities. A (170)Tm [T(1/2)=128.4 days, E(beta(max))=968 keV, E(gamma)=84 keV (3.26%)]-based radiopharmaceutical for bone pain palliation could offer significant advantages over that of (89)Sr. The present study constitutes the first report of the preparation of a (170)Tm-based agent, (170)Tm-ethylenediaminetetramethylene phosphonic acid (EDTMP), and its preliminary biological evaluation in animal models., Methods: (170)Tm was produced by thermal neutron bombardment on natural Tm(2)O(3) target for a period of 60 days at a flux of 6x10(13) neutrons/cm(2).s. (170)Tm-EDTMP complex was prepared at room temperature. Biodistribution and scintigraphic imaging studies with (170)Tm-EDTMP complex were performed in normal Wistar rats. Preliminary dosimetric estimation was made using the data to adjudge the suitability of (170)Tm-EDTMP for bone pain palliation., Results: (170)Tm was produced with a specific activity of 6.36 GBq/mg and radionuclidic purity of 100%. The (170)Tm-EDTMP was prepared with high radiochemical purity (>99%) and the complex exhibited satisfactory in vitro stability. Biodistribution and imaging studies showed good skeletal accumulation (50-55% of the injected activity) with insignificant uptake in any other vital organ/tissue. Activity was observed to be retained in skeleton until 60 days post-injection demonstrating that (170)Tm-EDTMP exhibits good bone-seeking properties with long retention. It is predicted that a dose of approximately 0.5 microGy/MBq is accrued to red bone marrow and 4.3 Gy/MBq is delivered to the skeleton., Conclusion: (170)Tm-EDTMP shows promising biodistribution features, encouraging dosimetric values and warrants further investigation in order to develop it as a bone pain palliative radiopharmaceutical. Despite the relatively long half-life (128.4 days) of (170)Tm, (170)Tm-EDTMP could be explored as a cost-effective alternative to (89)SrCl(2).

Stable and self-starting mode-locking of a Tm:KLu(WO(4))(2) crystal laser is demonstrated using a transmission-type single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) based saturable absorber (SA). These experiments in the 2 microm regime utilize the E11 transition of the SWCNTs for nonlinear saturable absorption. The recovery time of the SWCNT-SA is measured by pump-probe measurements as approximately 1.2 ps. The mode-locked laser delivers approximately 10 ps pulses near 1.95 microm with a maximum output power of up to 240 mW at 126 MHz repetition rate.

Intense near-infrared luminescence of Nd(3+) and Tm(3+) ions in the region of 860-1550 nm were achieved in 10-15 nm wurtzite ZnO nanocrystals fabricated by a facile sol-gel process. The optical properties of Nd(3+) and Tm(3+) ions were investigated by using the steady-state and time-resolved laser spectroscopy. Due to the well-ordered crystal-field surroundings experienced by Nd(3+) and Tm(3+) ions, sharp and well resolved emission lines of Nd(3+) and Tm(3+) ions were identified at 4-300 K. Time-resolved luminescence and decay behaviors of the (4)F(3/2)-->(4)I(11/2) transition of Nd(3+) ions reveal the existence of multiple Nd(3+) sites in ZnO nanocrystals.

We report on spectroscopic properties and energy transfer of Tm(3+)/Ho(3+)-codoped tungsten tellurite glasses for 1.47microm amplifier. Fluorescence spectra and the analysis of energy transfer indicate that Ho(3+) is an excellent codopant for 1.47microm emission. Comparing with other tellurite glasses, the radiative lifetime of the (3)H(4) level of Tm(3+) in tungsten tellurite glass is slightly lower, but the spontaneous emission probability, stimulated emission cross-section and the figure of merit for bandwidth are obviously larger. Although the pump efficiency of tungsten tellurite amplifier is approximately 50% less than that of fluoride glass, the figure of merit for bandwidth is approximately three times larger in tungsten tellurite glass than in fluoride glass. The results indicate that Tm(3+)/Ho(3+)-codoped tungsten tellurite glass is attractive for broadband amplifier.

A kind of novel fluorescence which possesses a potential application in wide-band optical amplifying is reported in this paper. With 975-nm LD laser pumping and Yb(3+)-assisted energy transferring, the fluorescence of Tm(3+)in the tellurite glass can be measured with emission spectra in 1.4- and 1.6- microm bands, which would be continued to the 1.53 microm of the Er(3+). The full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) is 170 nm(110 + 60nm), and the lifetimes come up to 0.66 and 1.46 ms. Then, an interpretation was given to the mechanism of IR fluorescence emission which is based on the energy transferring and up-conversion of Tm(3+), Yb(3+) and Er(3+).