TGT growth and magneto-optical properties of PrF3 crystal

Abstract High quality PrF3 crystal was successfully grown by the temperature gradient technique (TGT). The magneto-optical properties of PrF3 crystal were systematically investigated in the UV-VIS-NIR region. The advantage of PrF3 over CeF3 and TGG is its transparency in deep-UV region down to 258 nm. The dispersions of Verdet constant of PrF3 and TGG crystals in VIS-NIR region are similar. The Verdet constant of PrF3 crystal can theoretically increase from 677.93 rad T−1•m−1 at 300 nm to 967.53 rad T−1•m−1 at 270 nm. The CeF3 and TGG crystals aren't transparent in this region. Therefore, PrF3 crystal is the promising candidate for use as a Faraday rotator for optical systems operating below 300 nm.