Effects of polarized excitation on the 3PJ manifolds emission in KYF4:Pr3+ single crystal

A room temperature spectroscopic investigation on KYF4:1.25 at%Pr3+ is presented. The effects on the optical properties of the multisite-disordered nature of the sample are studied and discussed. In partic-ular we report on the broadening of the 3PJ absorption lines, at 10 and 300 K, and the 450-770 nm emis-sions as a function of observation and pump polarization. The evidence of a peculiar difference between emission under polarized excitation, parallel or orthogonal to the c axis, is shown. The 3P0 lifetime was 45 micros in agreement with that measured in other fluoride hosts.