Optical absorption, photoluminescence, and luminescence lifetimes ofCr3+inLiTaO3were studied. It was found that a relatively sharp absorption band assigned previously to the no-phonon4A2–2Etransition shifted by68 cm−1when temperature decreased from 300 to 5 K. A sharp, four-component emission band recorded at low temperature was assigned on the basis of lifetime measurements to the no-phonon2E–4A2transitions ofCr3+ions inLi+andTa5+sites. Frequencies of these transitions are lower than that of the sharp absorption band at the same temperature implying that the latter band is not the no-phonon4A2–2Eline but it may be associated with a phonon satellite of the4T2state. Strong thermal quenching of broad band luminescence ofCr3+was observed. ©1997 American Institute of Physics.