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Observation of laser-induced fluorescent cooling of a solid

Nature volume 377, pages 500–503 (1995)Cite this article

Abstract

THE possibility that an object might cool through its interaction with radiation was suggested as early as 1929 by Pringsheim1. After Landau2 established the basic thermodynamic consistency of such a process, certain aspects of fluorescent cooling were vigorously pursued3á¤-11. In particular, laser 'Doppler' cooling of gas-phase atoms and ions has today grown into a robust research area12á¤-15. In contrast, attempts to cool solids with light have met with limited success; non-radiative heating effects tend to dominate, and fluorescent cooling has at best resulted in a reduction in overall heating rates6. Here we report the experimental realization of net cooling of a solid with radiation. The cooling efficiencies achieved (up to 2%) are more than 104 times those observed in Doppler cooling of gases. By pumping a fluorescent cooling element with a high-efficiency diode laser, it may be possible to construct a compact, solid-state optical cryocooler, thereby allowing widespread deployment of cryogenic electronics and detectors in space and elsewhere16.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Astrophysics and Radiation Measurement Group, NIS-2, Mail Stop D436,

    Richard I. Epstein, Melvin I. Buchwald & Bradley C. Edwards

  2. Condensed Matter and Thermal Physics Group, MST-10, Mail Stop E543, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico, 87545, USA

    Timothy R. Gosnell & Carl E. Mungan

Authors
  1. Richard I. Epstein
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  2. Melvin I. Buchwald
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  3. Bradley C. Edwards
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  4. Timothy R. Gosnell
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  5. Carl E. Mungan
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Epstein, R., Buchwald, M., Edwards, B. et al. Observation of laser-induced fluorescent cooling of a solid. Nature 377, 500–503 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1038/377500a0

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