SAMOP 2021 – wissenschaftliches Programm

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Q: Fachverband Quantenoptik und Photonik

Q 3: Photonics and Laser Development

Q 3.9: Poster

Montag, 20. September 2021, 16:30–18:30, P

Fluorescent Silica Aerogels for Random Lasing — •Matthias F. Kestler, Theobald Lohmüller, and Jochen Feldmann — Chair for Photonics and Optoelectronics, Nano-Institute Munich and Department of Physics, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU), Königinstr. 10, 80539 Munich, Germany

Aerogels are translucent, low density materials that display a high surface-to-volume ratio and an extremely low thermal conductivity. Being a porous network of colloidal particles, they scatter light at visible wavelengths. Furthermore, the aerogel matrix can be doped with fluorescent dyes or nanoparticles, which enables their wider use for optical applications such as random lasing. Here, we report on the synthesis of fluorescent silica aerogels by supercritical drying of dye-doped liquid gels. By our refined process, we obtain large amorphous samples with micrometer-sized pores, where scattering events lead to closed photon paths that can act as micrometer range cavities. We analyze the corresponding photoluminescence, amplified stimulated emission and random lasing spectra that are obtained for different dye-loaded aerogel samples. In the case of random lasing, we observe that the extraordinary thermal stability of aerogels benefits the use of high laser pumping energies without visible sample degradation.