Heat conduction of laser vanadate crystals

The heat conduction of laser vanadate crystals $GdVO_4$, $YVO_4$ and their solid solutions is measured in the temperature interval from 50 to 350 $K$. Mixed rare-earth vanadates have the common chemical formula $Re'_{1-x}Re''_x VO_4$, where $Re'$, and $Re''$ are two or more types of ions from a series $La^{3+}$, $Pr^{3+}$, $Nd^{3+}$, $Sm^{3+}$, $Eu^{3+}$, $Gd^{3+}$, $Tb^{3+}$, $Dy^{3+}$, $Ho^{3+}$, $Er^{3+}$, $Tm^{3+}$, $Yb^{3+}$, $Lu^{3+}$, $Sc^{3+}$, $Y^{3+}$. The heat conduction of $YVO_4$:$Nd$ measured at room temperature proved to be more than twice higher than that reported in the literature and in certificate characteristics of laser $YVO_4$:$Nd$ elements manufactured by numerous commercial companies. The empirical dependences of the heat conduction along the crystallographic axes $\langle100\rangle$ and $\langle001\rangle$ on the composition of rare-earth vanadates $Re'_{1-x}Re''_x VO_4$, are obtained in the temperature interval from 200 to 350 $K$.