Abstract

A general study of energy transfer processes in organized condensed matter is presented. Considering the nature of these media, i.e., the periodic properties of the lattice, a theoretical microscopic model is worked out for the general case. It takes full advantage of the translational periodicities in the crystalline phase, using the real discrete distribution of ions in the lattice. A general master equation is obtained and, for the sake of completeness, a particular case is analyzed for the dipole-dipole nonradiative mechanism for energy transfer processes in the elpasolite: lattices where the Ln(3+) impurities are in cubic sites. (C) 1996 American Institute of Physics.