Laser Action in Rare Earth Chelates

A review of the work on chelate lasers is presented with emphasis on the chemistry of the chelates, the spectroscopic properties of these compounds, and the properties of the laser. The discussion of the chemistry centers about the coordination found in these compounds and the species present in solution. The spectroscopic properties of the various species are compared from the point of view of achieving laser action. The kinetics of the fluorescence is discussed and the calculation of the threshold for laser action is given. Finally the characteristics of the laser output are described for different cavity geometries.