This page contains documentation of all the tables in the database and descriptions of what each of the columns mean.
The bolded names in the description of each table are the file names for the corresponding table, as well as their names in the SQL environment; the more explanatory names are simply to help the user. Clicking on these bolded names will take you to the table in the Lasers Database.
Navigate through the documentation by clicking on table you would like to view:
Absorption and Emission Spectra documentation is available on the Spectra page
Aeflname
Chemical Names and Formulas
Coefficient of Thermal Expansion
Damage Thresholds
Densities
Electro-Optical Coefficients
Energy Levels and Degeneracies
Energy Levels by Manifold
Energy Levels Summary
Hardness, Poisson Ratios, Point and Space Groups
Host Lifetime
Index
Index of Refraction vs Temperature
Known Laser Level Data
LasersDB References
Linewidth
Nonlinear Coefficients
Optical Pump Types
Photo-Elastic Coefficient
Relative Dielectric Coefficients
Sellmeier Coefficients
Specific Heats
Thermal Conductivity Coefficients
Velocity of Sound
Yield Strengths
Young’s Modulus
The units used for the data in the database can also be found in the column descriptions for each table.
.csv, .txt, .spl, and .pdf versions of all of the tables are available in the Lasers Database as well.
Descriptions for what the numbers mean in the optical axis columns can be found on the About page.
Aeflname contains information from the absorption and emission spectra headers as well as the spectra file name.
| Column Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Host | host |
| Atom | atom name |
| Conc% | active atom concentration |
| ae_wl_min | minimum wavelength (microns) |
| ae_wl_max | maximum wavelength (microns) |
| resol | resolution (microns) |
| n_points | number of points on the file |
| ae_temp | temperature (Kelvin) |
| ae_thick | thickness (m) |
| ae_flag | A (absopriton)/E (emission) flag |
| em_polar | emission polarization |
| s_polar | source polarization |
| pump_type | pump type |
| pump_wave | pump wavelength (microns) |
| ae_min | minimum data value |
| ae_max | maximum data value |
| aefl_name | filename where data is stored |
| footnote | footnote number |
Chemical Names and Formulas contains the chemical names and chemical formulas for laser, optical, and nonlinear materials. For example, the chemical name is YAG and the formula is Y3Al5O12. Since data is stored by chemical formula, this table helps the user recall the chemical formula for common materials.
| Column Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Chemname | chemical name and/or colloquial name |
| Formula | chemical formula |
Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (CTE) contains the coefficient of thermal expansion for all germane axes and the valid temperature range.
| Column Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Host | checmical formula of host |
| Axis | optcal axis |
| Tmin | minimum temperature for expansion coefficient (Kelvin) |
| Tmax | maximum temperature for expansion coefficient (Kelvin) |
| CTE Raw Data | expansion coefficient raw data |
| Conversion factor | conversion factor to change to MKS units |
| CTE | expansion coefficient calculated data (per Kelvin) |
| Entry Date | entry/modification date to the database |
| footnote | footnote number |
Damage Thresholds contains the damage threshold, the measurement wavelength, and the pulse length.
| Column Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Host | chemical formula for host |
| Wavelength | wavelength (microns) of the laser |
| Pulse Length | pulse length (nanoseconds) |
| Damage Threshold | damage threshold (J/cm) |
| Damage Threshold | damage threshold (GW/cm) |
| Entry Date | entry/modification date into the date |
| Footnote | footnote number |
Densities contains density values for various materials
| Column Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Host | host chemical formula |
| Axis | optical axis |
| Density Raw Data | density raw data number, see footnote for explanation |
| Conversion Factor | converstion factor to convert to MKS units |
| Calculated Density | calculated density (kg/m^3) |
| Entry Date | entry/modification date to the database |
| Footnote | footnote number |
Electro-Optical Coefficients contains the electro-optical coefficients, the matrix identification, and the measurement wavelength.
| Column Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Host | host chemical formula |
| Matrix Element | matrix identification number |
| Electro-optical coefficient | electro-optical coefficient (pm/V) |
| Wavelength | wavelength (microns) |
| Strain (S) or Stress (T) Flag | S (strain)/T (stress) flag |
| Entry Date | entry/modification date to the database |
| Footnote | footnote number |
Energy Levels and Degeneracies contains the atom name, host, manifold name, all pertinent energies and degeneracies, and the measurement temperature.
| Column Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Host | host |
| Atom | active atom name |
| Manifold | manifold (level) name |
| Energy | energy leve energy (cm^-1) |
| Degeneracy | energy level degeneracy |
| T | temperature of the data (Kelvin) |
| Entry Date | entry/modification date |
| Footnote | footnote number |
Due to a formatting incompatibility, the ELEVEL tables contain a ? where a greek letter should appear in the .csv and .sql files. The correct greek letter does appear in the .txt file, however, for reference.
Energy Levels by Manfold contains average, maximum, minimum energy data for various ion/host materials
| Column Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Atom | active atom name |
| Host | host chemical formula |
| Manifold | manifold (level) name |
| Min Energy | minimum manifold energy (cm^-1) |
| Max Energy | maximum manifold energy (cm^-1) |
| Avg Energy | average energy over the manifold (cm^-1) |
Energy Levels Summary contains a summary of all of the data in table ELEVEL
| Column Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Host | host chemical formula |
| Atom | active atom name |
| Number of Entries | number of entries in table ELEVEL for this atom/host combination |
| Max Energy | maximum energy level energy in table ELEVEL for this atom/host combination |
| T | Temperature of the data in table ELEVEL for this atom/host combination |
| Entry Date | entry/modification date |
Hardness, Poisson Ratios, Point and Space Groups contains Poisson’s ratio, the hardness, the point group, and the space group for various laser materials, like the title denotes.
| Column Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Host | host chemical formula |
| Axis | optical axis |
| Poisson Ratio | poisson ratio |
| Hardness | hardness (Moh) |
| Point Group | point group |
| Space Group | space group |
| Entry Date | entry/modification date to the database |
| Footnote | footnote number |
Host Lifetimes contains the active atom, host, manifold name and luminescence lifetime (decay time).
| Column Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Host | host chemical formula |
| Atom | active atom name |
| Manifold | level (manifold) name |
| Lifetime | lifetime (milliseconds) |
| Conc% | % of laser ion concentration |
| T | temperature of lifetime data (Kelvin) |
| Entry Date | entry/modification date into the database |
| Footnote | footnote number |
Index contains index of refraction data at specific wavelength and temperature
| Column Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Host | host chemical formula |
| Axis | optical axis code |
| Wavelength | wavelength (microns) |
| dn/dt | change in index with temperature (per K) |
| T | temerature of index data (Kelvin) |
| Entry Date | entry/modification date |
| Footnote | footnote |
Index of Refraction vs Temperature contains the change in index of refraction with respect to temperature for all germane optical axes and the measurement temperature.
| Column Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Host | host chemical formula |
| Axis | optical axis |
| Wavelength | wavelength (microns) |
| dn/dt | change in index of refraction as a function of temperature |
| T | temperature (Kelvin) |
| Entry Date | entry/modification date |
| Footnote | footnote number |
Known Laser Level Data contains the active atom, host, minimum and maximum laser wavelengths, manifold names containing the upper and lower laser levels, and sundry information concerning known laser lines.
| Column Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Atom | active atom name |
| Host | host chemical formula |
| Wavelength | minimum laser wavelength (microns) / maximum laser wavelength (microns) |
| Upper Level | transition upper laser level name |
| Lower Level | transition lower laser level name |
| Lower Level Energy | terminal level energy (cm^-1) |
| Conc% | laser ion concentration (%) |
| Lifetime | fluorescent lifetime (msec) |
| Linewidth | fluorescent linewidth (cm^-1) |
| Mode | mode of laser operation |
| T | temperature (Kelvin) |
| Size | crystal size (mm) |
| Pump Type | optical pump |
| Threshold | threshold |
| Footnote | footnote number |
LasersDB References contains number and text of footnotes in the database
| Column Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Footnote | footnote number |
| Reference | lasersdb reference information |
Linewidth contains the active atom, host, upper and lower manifold names and energies, and transition line width.
| Column Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Atom | active atom name |
| Host | host chemical formula |
| Upper Manifold | upper manifold for the first active atom |
| Lower Manifold | upper manifold for the second active atom |
| Upper Energy | energy for the first active atom transition (cm^-1) |
| Lower Energy | energy for the second active atom transition |
| Linewidth | line width (cm^-1) |
| Branching Ratio | branching ratio |
| Cross Section | cross section (m^2) |
| Entry Date | entry/modification date into the database |
| Footnote | footnote number |
Nonlinear Optical Coefficients contains the material, matrix identification, wavelength, nonlinear coefficient, reference material name and reference material matrix identification.
| Column Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Host | host chemical formula |
| Symmetry Class | matrix location identifier |
| non_type | coefficient type (optical / linear) |
| nonlinear coefficient | nonlinear coefficient (pm/V) |
| miller | (m^2/C) |
| WL | wavelength (microns) |
| n(w) | |
| n(2w) | |
| Measured Relative to | |
| Entry Date | entry/modification date |
| Footnote | footnote number |
Optical Pump Types contains descriptions of various pump types from table KNOWLL
| Column Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Optical Pump Abbreviation | abbreviation for pump type |
| Description | pump description |
Photo Elastic Coefficient contains the photo-elastic coefficient for various materials and the wavelength.
| Column Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Host | host chemical formula |
| Matrix Element | matrix location identifier |
| Wavelength | wavelength (microns) |
| Photo-elastic Coefficient | photoelastic coefficient |
| Entry Date | entry/modification date |
| Footnote | footnote number |
Relative Dielectric Coefficients contains relative dielectric constant data for various materials
| Column Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Host | host chemical formula |
| Matrix Element | matrix location identifier |
| Relative Dielectric Coefficients | relative dielectric coefficient |
| S (Stress) / T (Strain) flag | flag whether S (strain)/T (stress) |
| Entry Date | entry/modification date into database |
| Footnote | footnote number |
Sellmeier Coefficients is a collection of calculated and catalogued Sellmeier coefficients. This is available in chart form as well as in the table form.
Axes definitions for laser materials
Axis Comments
- Only axis for isotropic materials
Ordinary (Pi) axis for birefringent materials
X-Axis for biaxial materials - Extra-ordinary (Sigma) axis for birefringent materials
Y-Axis for biaxial materials - Z-Axis for biaxial materials
To calculate the index of refraction from the Sellmeier coefficients, use the following formula:
where n is the index of refraction, lamdba squared is the wavelength in μm, and A-E are sellmeier coefficients.
| Column Name | Description |
|---|---|
| cat_name | catalog name / host chemical formula |
| sell_ax | optical axis |
| a_sell | A Sellmeier coefficient (microns) |
| b_sell | B Sellmeier coefficient (microns) |
| c_sell | C Sellmeier coefficient (microns) |
| d_sell | D Sellmeier coefficient (microns) |
| e_sell | E Sellmeier coefficient (microns) |
| T | temperature of index data used to calcualte the Sellmeier coefficient (K) |
| WL_min | min wavelength used to calculate index using Sellmeier coefficients |
| WL_max | max wavelength used to calculate index using Sellmeier coefficients |
| Entry Date | entry/modification date |
| Footnote | footnote number |
Specific Heats contains the specific heat for various materials and the temperature range over which the data is valid.
| Column Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Host | host chemical formula |
| Axis | optical axis |
| Tmin | minimum temperature for specific heat data |
| Tmax | maximum temperature for specific heat data |
| Specific Heat Raw Data | raw data |
| Conversion Factor | conversion factor to change to MKS |
| Specific Heat | calculated specific heat data (J/kg-K) |
| Entry Date | entry/modification date |
| Footnote | footnote number |
Thermal Conductivity Coefficients contains the thermal conductivity for all germane axes and the measurement temperature.
| Column Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Host | host chemical formula |
| Axis | optical axis |
| Tmin | minimum temperature for conductivity coefficient (Kelvin) |
| Tmax | maximum temperature for conductivity coefficient (Kelvin) |
| Tc Raw Data | conductivity coefficient raw data |
| Conversion factor | conversion factor to convert to MKS units |
| Tc | calculated conductivity coefficient (W/M-K) |
| Entry Date | entry/modification date |
| Footnote | footnote number |
Velocity of Sound contains the propagation direction, the displacement direction, and the velocity of sound.
| Column Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Host | host chemical formula |
| Progagation Direction | propagation direction |
| Displacement Direction | displacement direction |
| Velocity of Sound | velocity of sound (m/sec) |
| Entry Date | entry/modification date |
| Footnote | footnote number |
Yield Strengths contains the yield strength for various optical axes.
Yield strength is the maximum stress that can be applied without exceeding a specified value of permanent strain (usually 0.002) when the force is removed.
| Column Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Host | host chemical formula |
| Axis | optical axis |
| Yield Raw Data | raw data |
| Conversion factor | conversion factor to change to MKS |
| Yield | calculated yield (N/m^2) |
| Entry Date | entry/modification date |
| Footnote | footnote number |
Young’s Modulus contains Young’s modulus for various optical axes.
| Column Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Host | host chemical formula |
| Axis | optical axis |
| Young’s Modulus Raw Data | raw data |
| Conversion Factor | conversion factor to change to MKS |
| Young’s Modulus | calculated youngs modulus (1E9 N/m^2) |
| Entry Date | entry/modification date |
| Footnote | footnote number |
These are all of the old table names that were used in the original Fortran and SQL environments.
| AEFLNAME | Absorption and Emission Filenames and Parameters |
| ATOMHOST | Subset of table BIGAH |
| ATOMS2 | Active atom names in table ELEVEL |
| BIGAH | Summary of data in table ELEVEL |
| CHEMNAME | Chemical and/or colloquial name and chemical formula |
| CONDUCT | Coefficient of thermal conductivity (W/m-K) |
| DAMAGE | Damage threshold (J/m^2) |
| DENSITY | Density data (Kg/m^3) |
| DNDT | Change in index of refraction with temperatures |
| ELECTOPT | Electrop-optical coefficients (pm/V) |
| ELEVEL | Energy level energy, energy level name, and energy level degeneracy for various hosts and active atoms |
| EXPAND | Coefficient of thermal expansion (1/K) |
| FOOTNOTE | Footnotes and comments on the data in the database |
| INDEX | Index of refraction |
| KNOWNLL | Known laser level data |
| LIFETIME | Host, active atom names, manifold, and lifetime |
| LINEWDTH | Energy transition line width (1/cm) and branching ratios |
| MANFOLD | Energy level summary for each manifold in ELEVEL |
| NONLINE | Nonlinear Coeffiicnets (pm/V) |
| OPTPUMP | Optical pump types |
| PHOTO | Photo-elastic coefficient |
| PHYSICAL | Hardness (Moh), Poisson ratio, point and space group data |
| RELDIEL | Relative Dielectric Coefficient |
| SELLMEIR | Sellmeier Coefficients (microns²) |
| SPECHEAT | Specific heat data (J/Kg-K) |
| UNITS | Units corresponding to selected columns in various tables |
| VSOUND | Velocity of sound (m/s) |
| YIELD | Yield strength data (N/m^2) – Modulus of Rupture |
| YOUNG | Young’s modulus data (1E9 N/m²) – Modulus of Elasticity |