Modified Judd–Ofelt technique and application to optical transitions in Pr3+-doped glass

An extension of the Judd–Ofelt technique [B. R. Judd, Phys. Rev. 127, 750 (1962)] is introduced in which measured fluorescence branching ratios are incorporated into the calculation of the Judd–Ofelt parameters. It is found that including branching ratio measurements into the analysis allows the Judd–Ofelt parameters to be reliably calculated with fewer ground-state absorption measurements than would otherwise be necessary. The method is applied to Pr3+:ZBLAN glass, an important material for 1.3 μm optical amplifiers. A closed-form expression is also derived for determining the Judd–Ofelt parameters from ground-state absorption data.