Characterization of upconversion coefficient in erbium-doped materials.

We describe a new method for determining the homogeneous upconversion coefficient by using only three measurements: two fluorescence decays as a function of time and the relationship of normalized fluorescence with excitation power. This technique results in increased accuracy upon employment of a smaller number of measurements. Specifically, the intermediate steps of finding the absorption cross section of the doped material, the emission spectrum of the pumping source, and its spatial power distribution are not necessary. Our technique employs only one experimental setup: changing the pumping conditions. Furthermore, it incorporates dual-function fitting to reduce the uncertainty and error propagation. This method will find ample applications in the study and characterization of erbium-doped materials used in lasers and optical amplifiers, where precise knowledge of efficiency and losses is of uppermost importance.