NdP5O14 crystal used for miniature rangefinder

A 70 mm long NdP5O14 crystal weighing 60 lbs and with good optical properties was grown and used with a miniature xenon lamp pumped, Q-tunable dye laser weighing 23 grams to determine its rangefinding capability. Results show the measurement range is 60 to approximately 300 m, with an accuracy of 2.5m and a ranging probability of 96%. Papers presented at a color center laser symposium are summarized. Topics covered include color center physics, and development trends into research with color center applications in chemistry, optical frequency measurement, and laser frequency measurement.