Luminescence Spectroscopy of Holmium-Doped Crystals*

Luminescence spectroscopy involves using a monochromator to find the emission spectrum of a material. In this case, that material is a crystal lattice with some of the ions in the lattice structure replaced with Holmium ions. When an Argon laser with a wavelength of 457.9 nm hits a Holmium-doped crystal, the Holmium ions oscillate between an excited state and a lower energy level by absorbing and releasing energy with a characteristic wavelength depending on the energy level transition. The optical setup of this experiment was optimized for use with a monochromator, and several crystals with varying concentrations of Holmium ions were tested in order to produce a clear luminescence spectrum of Holmium in both the s and p polarizations.