Mauro Tonelli is the coordinator of the research group New Materials for Laser Applications operating at the Physics Department of the Pisa University. Moreover he is associated to NEST- Nanoscience Institute-CNR. His research activity is started to develop molecular gas lasers in the far-infrared region (70 µm 1mm). He studied the spectrum emitted from these lasers and measured their frequency referred to a Cesium atomic clock. He continued his research work by studying the rotovibrational levels of the molecules. Then his scientific interest shifted towards solid state lasers using colour centers inside alkali halides crystals. He studied the laser characteristics in the 1.5 2.9 µm wavelength region. He is the holder of two patents concerning these results and in 1993, for the same achievements, he became the winner of the award "S. Panizza" of the Italian Physical Society. He studied fluoride crystals doped with trivalent rare-earth ions (Er, Tm and Ho) used as active elements inside a laser cavity to develop laser sources in the wavelength region from 1.2 µm to 2.1 µm. Moreover he characterized oxide and fluoride crystals doped with rare earth ions by observing their static and dynamic fluorescence for the optical chacterization of these materials. He has also developed a new method based on the frequency analysis of the fluorescence emitted from the crystal to study the energy transfer mechanisms that affect the laser efficiency. By the study of these materials he has developed and showed the possibilty to cool it by optical pumping, opening the possibility to set up a solid-state cryocooler for interesting applications in aereo-space fields. He has set up the experimental apparatus for Cr2+ additive doping of chalcogenide crystals and ceramics (ZnSe, ZnS..) to develop a wide tunable laser at room temperature in the near infrared wavelength region (2.1 3 micron).
He has been national co-ordinator of the project "Crystals for new generation lasers", during which he set up apparatus for the growth of bulk fluoride crystals: LiYF4, BaY2F8, KYF4, LiGdF4 LiLuF4, KY3F10 and LiCaAlF6 doped with trivalent rare earth ions as Tm, Ho, Nd, Pr, Er, Yb, Dy and Ce by the Czochralski technique. The samples are of high optical quality, a high laser efficiency and tunability in the UV, visible and near-infrared wavelength region has been obtained. Moreover he set up the new growth apparatus (micro-Pd) to develop mono-crystal fibers. By this technique he has developed fibers (diameters from 0.5 to 3 mm) with different materials as silicon, fluoride and oxide un-doped and doped with rare earth ions ( Ce3+, Nd3+, Tm3+, Yb3+and Er3+) for medical, mechanical and laser applications. This growth facility is the only one in Italy and one of the few in the world to develop crystals fluoride with special optical characteristics as shown before.
He is co-author of more 200 papers published on refereed books and scientific journals; he is co-author of five patents for optoelectronic and mechanical applications, gave several invited talks at national, international conferences and research laboratory. He is member of committee of international conferences (Photonic-west, CLEO-EU, Europhoton Conference) and as chair has organized in Pisa an international workshop (ISLONM-5; 5th International Symposium on Laser, Scintillator and Non Linear Materials)
Mauro Tonelli has been and is scientific manager of several projects concerning optical materials for mechanical and laser applications, quantum computation and optical analysis.
