Zeeman effect in the luminescence spectra of terbium-yttrium-aluminum garnet

Abstract

The Zeeman effect is investigated in the green luminescence band corresponding to the 4f→4f radiative transition 5D4 → 7F5 of Tb3+ ions in Tb0.2Y2.8Al5O12 terbium-yttrium-aluminum garnet at the temperature T = 85 K. It is demonstrated that an external field causes not only the Zeeman shifts of the resonant frequencies of radiative transitions in the luminescence spectra but also changes in the emission line intensities caused by modification of the optical transition probabilities in the σ− and σ+ opposite circular polarization states. Special features of field dependences of the Zeeman effect for the emission lines are qualitatively explained based on the results of numerical energy spectrum calculations for the 5D4 and 7F5 multiplets of the Tb3+ ion in yttrium-aluminum garnet in the geometry of the longitudinal and transverse Zeeman effects. The possibility of nonequilibrium population of sublevels of the (Γ1, Γ4) quasi-doublet state of the 5D4 multiplet with energy of ∼20585 cm−1 is demonstrated in an external magnetic field.