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Abstract

Neodymium-doped phosphate glasses having a refractive index, nd>1.520; an Abbe number, Vd, <60; a density <3.0 g/cm.sup.3, a thermal expansion coefficient, .alpha., .ltoreq.110.times.10.sup.-7 .degree.C..sup.-1 ; a Young's Modulus, E, <70.times.10.sup.3 N/mm.sup.2 ; a Poisson's Ratio, .nu., <0.28; a thermal conductivity, K, >0.5 W/m.multidot.K, a thermal FOM=(1-.nu.).multidot.K/.alpha.E>0.7, consisting essentially of, in mol. %: P.sub.2 O.sub.5 : 40-70% SiO.sub.2 : 0-20% B.sub.2 O.sub.3 : 5-20% Sum SiO.sub.2 +B.sub.2 O.sub.3 : 5-35% Sum Li.sub.2 O+Na.sub.2 O+K.sub.2 O: 5-20% Sum La.sub.2 O.sub.3 +Nd.sub.2 O.sub.3 : 3-10% Sum MgO+CaO+SrO+BaO+ZnO: 0-10% and preferably containing an amount of Nd.sub.2 O.sub.3 effective for laser activity having an emission cross-section, .sigma., >3.5.times.10.sup.-20 cm.sup.2 ; a fluorescence linewidth (.DELTA..lambda..sub.f1)<23.5 nm; a first e-folding time of the Nd.sup.3+ fluorescence at 0.5 wt. % Nd.sub.2 O.sub.3 >375 .mu.sec, and a first e-folding time of the Nd.sup.3+ fluorescence at 10 wt. % >175 .mu.sec at 10 wt. %, have very low self-concentration quenching rates.

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First Claim