Solid-state laser cooling of Yb3+-doped KY3F10 to 145 K

Abstract

We report laser cooling of Yb3+-doped KY3F10 (Yb:KY3F10) driven by a 100-W, 1020-nm pump source. Despite pumping at a non-optimal wavelength, high-quality KY3F10 crystals doped with 3% and 7% Yb were cooled to 145 K and 151 K, respectively, in a double-pass pump configuration. These results establish Yb:KY3F10 as an attractive laser-cooling medium competitive with Yb:YLF, the state-of-the-art laser-cooling material for optical cryocoolers. The observed cooling performance and spectroscopic characteristics suggest that lower cryogenic temperatures may be achieved through pump-wavelength optimization, enhanced pump absorption, and reduced radiative heating.