Observation of persistent spectral hole burning ofEu3+in β″-alumina at 110 K

Persistent spectral hole burning (PSHB) has been observed at 110 K in ${\mathrm{Eu}}^{3+}$ exchanged ${\mathrm{Na}}^{+}$ β″-alumina crystals. This is the highest burning temperature for PSHB in ${\mathrm{Eu}}^{3+}$ doped materials. It is found that the long lived holes at high temperature are caused by light-induced local motion of ions surrounding the ${\mathrm{Eu}}^{3+}$ ions. The results both of hole relaxation and temperature cycling measurements can be well interpreted by a hopping model with a Gaussian distributed barrier height. © 1996 The American Physical Society.