“…Since the impurity is nearly always situated in octahedral sites, the absorption and emission spectra are similar in a large variety of materials, the main distinction being the strength of the octahedral field, rather than its exact nature (59) This is well demonstrated by the absorption and emission spectra of ruby, alexandrite, and Cr:Li-SAF, the materials illustrated in this section. The absorption spectra at lower energies are all characterized by two broad bands corresponding to the transitions, with the positions of the peaks changing according to the field strength.…”