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Phonon-induced hypersensitive transitions in lanthanide double perovskites

Muyi Zhang1, Sakarn Khamkaeo1, Xinyi Cai1, Utkarsh Singh1, Pedram Pakmehr2, Kunpot Mopoung1, Yuxuan Li1, Julia Morat1, Kirill Chernenko3 et al.

Antti Kivimäki3, Wei-Xin Ni1, Maths Karlsson2, Irina A. Buyanova1, Weimin M. Chen1, Sergei I. Simak1, Igor A. Abrikosov1, Yuttapoom Puttisong1, and Feng Gao1,*

  • *Contact author: feng.gao@liu.se
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Phys. Rev. B 114, 084308 – Published 28 August, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/ss4k-zyd6

Abstract

Lanthanide ions exhibit characteristic emission originating from intra-4f transitions. Among them, hypersensitive transitions (HSTs) are distinguished by their pronounced spectral tunability. Conventional HST emitters typically rely on dilute doping and host-to-4f charge transfer, which are often limited by defect-induced quenching and transfer losses. Here, we observe a highly efficient HST channel independent of a host-to-4f transfer in undoped, intrinsically luminescent europium-based double perovskites, and we identify the mechanisms that govern both the enhancement and loss of HST efficiency. In this system, a thermally activated doubly degenerate phonon mode of the Eu−Cl6 octahedra relaxes the parity selection rule, thereby strengthening the HST emission. The HST oscillator strength is enhanced by a factor of 2–3 relative to that of the magnetic-dipole transition. Direct excitation into the LJ5 level bypasses reverse energy transfer and yields a maximum quantum efficiency of nearly 70%. These findings provide insights into the design of efficient and spectrally tunable emission in lanthanide systems.

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Phys. Rev. B 114, 084308– Published 28 August, 2026
  • Received 5 September 2025
  • Revised 24 March 2026
  • Accepted 4 August 2026
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