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Updated: May 21, 2026

Hyperspectral Imaging as a Tool to Study Optical Anisotropy in Lanthanide-Based Molecular Single Crystals
Published on: April 14, 2020
UV-visible Faraday rotators based on rare-earth fluoride single crystals: LiREF4 (RE = Tb, Dy, Ho, Er and Yb), PrF3
Valentyn Vasyliev1, Encarnacíon G Villora, Masaru Nakamura
1Optical Single Crystal Group, Optical and Electronic Materials Unit, Environment and Energy Materials Research Division, National Institute for Materials Science, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba 305-0044, Japan. vasyliev.valentyn@nims.go.jp
Abstract:
High optical quality LiREF(4) (RE = Tb(3+), Dy(3+), Ho(3+), Er(3+) and Yb(3+)), PrF(3) and CeF(3) single crystals have been grown by the Czochralski technique. Their magneto-optical properties have been measured and analyzed in detail in the ultraviolet-visible wavelength region, and their figures of merit as Faraday rotators have been determined. CeF(3) presents superior properties above 300 nm, showing a figure of merit higher than that of the reference material, terbium-gallium-garnet, which is nowadays used in the visible-near infrared. PrF(3) is the best rotator for the 220-300 nm range. Towards shorter wavelength and in the vacuum ultraviolet, it is shown that the LiREF(4) crystals are unique rotators. Overall, the rare-earth fluoride single crystals studied here exhibit better properties than other materials considered so far, and therefore they have potential to cover the increasing demand for new and improved Faraday rotators in the ultraviolet-visible wavelength region.
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When atoms or molecules absorb light at the proper frequency, their electrons are excited to higher-energy orbitals. For many main group atoms and molecules, the absorbed photons are in the ultraviolet range of the electromagnetic spectrum, which cannot be detected by the human eye. For coordination compounds, the energy difference between the d orbitals often allows photons in the visible range to be absorbed and emitted, which is seen as colors by the human eye.
