PMID- 20068934
OWN - NLM
STAT- PubMed-not-MEDLINE
DCOM- 20121002
LR  - 20181023
IS  - 1559-128X (Print)
IS  - 1559-128X (Linking)
VI  - 7
IP  - 10
DP  - 1968 Oct 1
TI  - Rare Earth infrared quantum counter.
PG  - 2053-70
LID - 10.1364/AO.7.002053 [doi]
AB  - An analysis of an ideal five-level ir quantum counter (IRQC) is presented. The 
      importance of the two additional levels is discussed and analyzed. The parameters 
      for achieving optimum performance as an ir detector and/or an image converter are 
      presented. In theory, the IRQC is the only quantum amplifier with photon gain 
      that can approach a noise temperature of absolute zero. In practice, with the 
      constriction of available materials and technology, the most feasible use for the 
      IRQC in the near term would be in an active system. An ir laser would be used to 
      scan the target while another laser would pump the excited state transition. The 
      IRQC action has been observed in this laboratory in the tripositive rare earths 
      of Pr, Nd, Eu, Tb, Dy, Er, and Tm. These ions were incorporated in single crystal 
      lattices of CaF(2), BaF(2), SrF(2), CdF(2), LaF(3), CaWO(4), A1(2)O(3), YAG, 
      LaCl(3), and in solutions of the various trichlorides (dissolved in D(2)O). A 
      total of 165 schemes are reported. The rare earth impurity concentration varied 
      from 0.05% to 20%. In our laboratory, the primary range of interest for detection 
      and/or image conversion is between 1 micro and 2 micro. Therefore, almost all the 
      systems studied involved the detection of an ir photon in this region.
FAU - Esterowitz, L
AU  - Esterowitz L
FAU - Schnitzler, A
AU  - Schnitzler A
FAU - Noonan, J
AU  - Noonan J
FAU - Bahler, J
AU  - Bahler J
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PL  - United States
TA  - Appl Opt
JT  - Applied optics
JID - 0247660
EDAT- 1968/10/01 00:00
MHDA- 1968/10/01 00:01
CRDT- 2010/01/14 06:00
PHST- 2010/01/14 06:00 [entrez]
PHST- 1968/10/01 00:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 1968/10/01 00:01 [medline]
AID - 15487 [pii]
AID - 10.1364/AO.7.002053 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Appl Opt. 1968 Oct 1;7(10):2053-70. doi: 10.1364/AO.7.002053.