Experimental investigation of the optical properties of rareearth-doped phosphate glasses using a do-it-yourself optical setup
Abstract
We present a compact experimental setup designed to investigate selected optical properties of rare-earth-doped glasses. Such materials, like doped crystals, are widely used in modern technologies, particularly in lasers and optoelectronic systems. The setup is intended for teaching optical measurements within a general engineering curriculum with an emphasis on materials science and glassy materials. The experiment focuses on a neodymium-doped phosphate glass and is based on optical absorption and optical pumping using a laser diode emitting at the main absorption peak of Nd³⁺ ions in an amorphous matrix. Under continuous pumping conditions, students determine the refractive index and the absorption coefficient as functions of the optical path length and the neodymium concentration and use these measurements to estimate the absorption cross-section with reasonable uncertainty. Using chopped optical pumping, they also measure the excited-state lifetime as a function of the absorbing-ion concentration. Additional investigations include the geometrical characteristics of spontaneous emission and the influence of experimental parameters such as wavelength filtering before the photodiode. The setup integrates PETG 3D-printed components, an Arduinobased control module, and in-house fabricated samples on a compact platform requiring only standard laboratory instruments (laser power meter, photodiode, and oscilloscope). The experiment also introduces students to laser safety considerations associated with a 100 mW continuous-wave near-infrared diode laser. All 3D design files and the data required to reproduce or adapt the setup are freely available for download.
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BibTeX
@article{musset2026experimental,
title = {{Experimental investigation of the optical properties of rareearth-doped phosphate glasses using a do-it-yourself optical setup}},
author = {Olivier Musset and Clément Strutynski},
journal = {European Journal of Physics},
year = {2026},
month = jun,
doi = {10.1088/1361-6404/ae79ba},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05766741v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Experimental investigation of the optical properties of rareearth-doped phosphate glasses using a do-it-yourself optical setup
AU - Olivier Musset
AU - Clément Strutynski
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/06/08
JO - European Journal of Physics
DO - 10.1088/1361-6404/ae79ba
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05766741v1
AB - We present a compact experimental setup designed to investigate selected optical properties of rare-earth-doped glasses. Such materials, like doped crystals, are widely used in modern technologies, particularly in lasers and optoelectronic systems. The setup is intended for teaching optical measurements within a general engineering curriculum with an emphasis on materials science and glassy materials. The experiment focuses on a neodymium-doped phosphate glass and is based on optical absorption and optical pumping using a laser diode emitting at the main absorption peak of Nd³⁺ ions in an amorphous matrix. Under continuous pumping conditions, students determine the refractive index and the absorption coefficient as functions of the optical path length and the neodymium concentration and use these measurements to estimate the absorption cross-section with reasonable uncertainty. Using chopped optical pumping, they also measure the excited-state lifetime as a function of the absorbing-ion concentration. Additional investigations include the geometrical characteristics of spontaneous emission and the influence of experimental parameters such as wavelength filtering before the photodiode. The setup integrates PETG 3D-printed components, an Arduinobased control module, and in-house fabricated samples on a compact platform requiring only standard laboratory instruments (laser power meter, photodiode, and oscilloscope). The experiment also introduces students to laser safety considerations associated with a 100 mW continuous-wave near-infrared diode laser. All 3D design files and the data required to reproduce or adapt the setup are freely available for download.
SN - 0143-0807
SN - 1361-6404
ER -