Abstract
Two-photon persistent hole burning is observed at T = 296 K in 5D1–7F0 and 5D0–7F0 transitions of Sm2+ ions in substitutionally disordered SrFCl1/2 single crystals, showing the ratio of inhomogeneous to homogeneous linewidth of 20 ÷ 25. The minimum hole widths of 3.5 cm-1 and 2.6 cm-1, respectively, were determined for these transitions. In fact, the applicability of persistent spectral hole burning, known as a low-temperature high-resolution spectroscopic method and a potential basis for the use of a new–spectral–dimension in optical data storage and processing, is demonstrated for the first time at room temperature in inorganic materials.