Pumping efficiency and lifetime of the 4F3/2 level of a neodymium ion in a liquid Nd3+: POCl3 – SnCl4 – UO22+ laser-active medium upon pulsed irradiation by fission fragments in a BARS-6 reactor

The measuring technique and the results of measuring the pump efficiency δ and lifetime τ of the ⁴F_3/2 level of the Nd³⁺ ion (λ = 1.05 μm) in a liquid Nd³⁺:POCl₃-SnCl₄-UO₂²⁺ laser-active medium irradiated in a pulsed BARS-6 reactor are presented. The values of δ and τ are equal to 1.9 ± 0.2 % and 230 ± 30μs, respectively. This confirms the data of subthreshold experiments performed earlier on a neutron generator and shows that the conditions required for using this liquid as the active medium of a nuclear-pumped quantum amplifier are satisfied.