5d–4f luminescence of Ce3+, Gd3+ and Lu3+ in LiCaAlF6

The emission and excitation spectra as well as decay kinetics of luminescence due to 5d–4f transitions in Ce3+, Gd3+ and Lu3+ ions doped into LiCaAlF6 crystals have been analyzed with high spectral and time resolution using synchrotron radiation for excitation. The rich fine structure originating from electronic origins of transitions and their phonon replica has been well resolved and identified. Experimental data are compared with the spectra simulated in the framework of the semiphenomenological models of the crystal field and the crystal lattice dynamics.