On the mechanisms of non-radiative energy transfer between lanthanide ions: centrosymmetric systems

Abstract

Abstract In this work the aim is three-fold: 1) to call attention for shielding effects in the energy transfer rates between lanthanide ions. 2) to use a new model for treating the Judd-Ofelt Ω K intensity parameters in centrosymmetric systems by using a thermal root mean squared displacement around each ligating atom (ion) in the analysis of the intensity parameters. This might have an important role in ion-ion energy transfer processes, particularly when the lanthanide ions occupy a center of inversion. 3) To call attention to the fact that the quadrupole-quadrupole mechanism is dominant for ion-ion distances as far as 20 A, provided shielding effects are taken into account. An illustrating comparison with respect to the weak quadrupole mechanism of 4f‐4f transition rates is made.