Luiz F. dos Santos | Searcharxiv

arXiv2026

Absolute Primary Nanothermometry Using Individual Stark Sublevels of Rare-Earth-doped Crystals

We present two independent optical methods for absolute primary thermometry using rare-earth-doped nanoparticles. Both approaches rely exclusively on the internal energy levels and population dynamics of the dopant ions, eliminating the need for external temperature references. We experimentally demonstrate the concepts by using Y$_2$O$_3$: Yb$^{3+}$/Er$^{3+}$ nanoparticles, exploiting Boltzmann distribution between individual Stark sublevels of the Er$^{3+}$ ions, emitting in the green spectral region ($\sim$550 nm) and in the near-infrared spectral region ($\sim$1600 nm). Our strategy establishes rare-earth-based luminescence thermometers as genuine absolute primary probes, conceptually comparable to Johnson noise and acoustic gas thermometers, but with the fundamental advantage of possibly being employed at the nanoscale, potentially down to the single-ion limit, with optical readout and over wide temperature ranges.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2025

Boltzmann Thermometry at Cryogenic Temperatures Exploiting Stark Sublevels in Er$^{3+}$/Yb$^{3+}$-Codoped Yttrium Oxide Nanoparticles

The development of reliable luminescent nanothermometers for cryogenic applications is essential for advancing quantum technologies, superconducting systems, and other fields that require precise, high-spatial-resolution temperature monitoring. Lanthanide-doped systems are vastly employed to this purpose, and typically perform optimally at or above room temperature when manifold-to-manifold transitions are used. In this work we exploit individual Stark sublevels to demonstrate an optical thermometer based on Er$^{3+}$/Yb$^{3+}$ codoped yttria (Y$_2$O$_3$) nanoparticles that operates effectively across the temperature range from 25 K to 175 K. This is achieved due to the pronounced crystal field environment of the the Y$_2$O$_3$ host matrix, leading to well-separated Stark lines in the luminescence spectrum of the Er$^{3+}$ ions. By applying the Luminescence Intensity Ratio (LIR) method to transitions originating from two Stark components of the $^4$S$_{3/2}$ manifold of the Er$^{3+}$ ions, we achieve thermal sensitivities up to 1.25 % K$^{-1}$ at 100 K and temperature resolutions reaching 0.2 K. Our results further experimentally confirm recently published theoretical predictions, demonstrating that thermometric performance is not directly dependent on the average (barycenter) difference of the involved electronic energy levels when using individual Stark transitions to evaluate the LIR. The proposed procedure gives an energy gap calibration that matches the one determined by sample spectroscopy for non-overlapping lines in the luminescence spectrum. These insights provide a robust foundation for the design of high-performance cryogenic thermometers based on rare-earth-doped materials.

physics.chem-ph↗