Determination of the effective stimulated emission cross section of neodymium ions in various matrices using the luminescence dumping method

An improved method for direct measurement of the effective stimulated emission cross section σ_eff for neodymium ions in various matrices is proposed. The relationship between the cross sections measured using the luminescence dumping and traditional spectroscopic techniques is determined. Values of σ_eff are obtained for various crystals and it is shown that σ_eff can be measured in samples of poor optical quality, including powders.