Laser action from Mn5+ in Ba3(VO4)2

We report the first observation, to our knowledge, of three-level laser oscillator operation in a crystal activated with Mn5+. The material is Mn:Ba3(VO4)2 which exhibited laser oscillation at room temperature under pulsed 592 nm excitation. The laser emission occurs at 1181 nm with a threshold of 0.3 J/cm2. Spectroscopy indicates that this material operates as a three-level system on the 1E to 3A2 transition of the Mn5+ ion with tetrahedral coordination. The strong, broad absorption bands and 0.43 ms room-temperature lifetime make this system very promising for flash lamp AlxGa1−xAs diode pumping.