Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

Physical Review B

Direct observation of rare-earth-host interactions in Er : Y 2 Si O 5

O. Guillot-Noël, Hervé Vezin, Philippe Goldner, Florian Beaudoux, Julien Vincent, Julien Lejay, I. Lorgeré

Published Nov 30, 2007• 26 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We report the direct observation of Er-Y and Er-Si interactions in $\mathrm{Er}:{\mathrm{Y}}_{2}\mathrm{Si}{\mathrm{O}}_{5}$ by spin-echo measurements. Modulations in the spin-echo decay of ${\mathrm{Er}}^{3+}$ ions are due to magnetic interactions between the rare earth and the host nuclear spins. The closest yttrium ions were found to be out of resonance compared to the yttrium ions farther away from the rare earth. This strong ``frozen core'' effect around the ${\mathrm{Er}}^{3+}$ ions suggests that the influence of ${\mathrm{Y}}^{3+}$ ions on the decoherence processes of erbium is weaker than what can be deduced from the yttrium in the bulk.

DOI
10.1103/physrevb.76.180408

Related papers

Sensing Individual Nuclear Spins with a Single Rare-Earth Electron Spin

Thomas Kornher, Da-Wu Xiao, Kangwei Xia +4 more

Rare-earth related electron spins in crystalline hosts are unique material systems, as they can potentially provide a direct interface between telecom band photons and long-lived spin quantum bits. Specifically, their optically accessible electron spins in solids interacting with nuclear spins in their environment are valuable quantum memory resources. Detection of nearby individual nuclear spins, so far exclusively shown for few dilute nuclear spin bath host systems such as the nitrogen-vacancy center in diamond or the silicon vacancy in silicon carbide, remained an open challenge for rare earths in their host materials, which typically exhibit dense nuclear spin baths. Here, we present the electron spin spectroscopy of single Ce^{3+} ions in a yttrium orthosilicate host, featuring a coherence time of T_{2}=124 μs. This coherent interaction time is sufficiently long to isolate proximal ^{89}Y nuclear spins from the nuclear spin bath of ^{89}Y. Furthermore, it allows for the detection of a single nearby ^{29}Si nuclear spin, native to the host material with ∼5% abundance. This study opens the door to quantum memory applications in rare-earth ion related systems based on coupled environmental nuclear spins, potentially useful for quantum error correction schemes.

arXiv:2002.09357•Physical Review Letters•Apr 29, 2020•33 citations

Decoherence induced by dipole-dipole couplings between atomic species in rare earth ion doped Y 2 SiO 5

Charlotte Pignol, Antonio Ortu, L. Nicolas +5 more

Rare earth ion doped crystals are state-of-the-art platforms for processing quantum information, particularly thanks to their excellent optical and spin coherence properties at cryogenic temperatures. Experimental observations have shown that the application of a static magnetic bias field significantly improves the coherence times in the rare earth ions ensemble, but only a few studies have focused on its dependency as a function of both magnetic field direction and amplitude. This is especially true for magnetic field amplitudes under the mT, and for low magnetic dipole moment ions. In this paper, we investigate the relationship between the magnetic field parameters and the decoherence caused by magnetic dipole-dipole coupling with the nearest-neighbor nuclear spins in the crystal. The primary non-Kramers rare earth ions investigated here are europium and praseodymium, but we also extend our study to the ytterbium Kramers ion due to its low magnetic dipole in the mT range. We perform theoretical investigations and simulations of the energy structure and coherence time evolution and identify good correspondences between experimental and simulated spin echo data. This work allows us to pinpoint the most relevant decoherence mechanisms in the considered magnetic field regime, and to predict favorable magnetic configurations.

arXiv:2408.01958•Physical review. B./Physical review. B•Dec 24, 2024•6 citations

Hyperfine interaction of Er 3 + ions in Y 2 Si O 5 : An electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy study

O. Guillot-Noël, Philippe Goldner, Y. Le Du +3 more

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy of rare earth ions in crystals is a powerful tool to analyze the hyperfine structure of the rare earth ground state. This can be useful for coherent spectroscopy and quantum information applications where the hyperfine structure of the electronic levels is used. In this work, we give a detailed analysis of the hyperfine structure of the ground state $[^{4}I_{15∕2}(0)]$ of ${\mathrm{Er}}^{3+}$ ions in ${\mathrm{Y}}_{2}\mathrm{Si}{\mathrm{O}}_{5}$. The electronic Zeeman, hyperfine, and quadrupole matrices are obtained from angular variations of the magnetic field in three orthogonal crystal planes. An excellent agreement is obtained between experimental and simulated magnetic field positions and relative intensities of EPR lines.

Physical Review B•Dec 11, 2006•81 citations

Elucidating magnetic structure with optical dopants: erbium-doped Gd$_2$SiO$_5$

Luke S. Trainor, Masaya Hiraishi, J. -R. Soh +1 more

The narrowness of the optical transitions of rare-earth-ion dopants makes them highly sensitive probes of their environment. We measured the optical transitions Er$^{3+}$ dopants to determine the previously unknown magnetic ordering of Gd$_{2}$SiO$_{5}$ -- a promising host for quantum applications of rare-earth dopants. By measuring the transitions' magnetic-field dependence we determined an antiferromagnetic ordering with spins oriented along or slightly canted from the crystal's $a^*$ axis. The optical transitions are narrower than the coupling to gadolinium spins revealing information about the coupling strengths. We further optically measured a Néel temperature of $1.86\pm0.01_\mathrm{stat.}\pm0.07_\mathrm{syst.}$ K, and assembled a phase diagram in applied field and temperature showcasing a triple point where two gadolinium sites order semi-independently from each other. At high applied field the erbium dopants show long optical coherence times up to 0.4 ms at 3 T; at low fields these are probably limited by three low-frequency magnon modes below 10 GHz, observed directly. This study can be used to benchmark a method of magnetic structure determination.

cond-mat.str-elCross-listedarXiv:2603.12603•Mar 16, 2026•0 citations

Single site optical spectroscopy of coupled Er 3+ ion pairs in silicon

Guangchong Hu, Rose L. Ahlefeldt, Gabriele G. de Boo +6 more

Abstract Individual optical emitters coupled via coherent interactions are attractive qubits for quantum communications applications. Here, we present the first study of single pairs of interacting rare earth ions and determine the interactions between ions in the pair with high resolution. We identify two examples of Er 3+ pair sites in Er implanted Si and characterise the interactions using optical Zeeman spectroscopy. We identify one pair as two Er 3+ ions in sites of at least C 2 symmetry coupled via a large, 200 GHz, Ising-like spin interaction in both optical ground and excited states. The high measurement resolution allows non-Ising contributions to the interaction of < 1 % to be observed, attributed to site distortion. By bringing two optical transitions into resonance with a magnetic field, we observe a 0.8 GHz optical interaction of unusual magnetic-dipole/electric-dipole character with strong polarization selection rules. We discuss the use of this type of strongly coupled, field-tunable rare earth pair system for quantum processing.

arXiv:2108.07442•Quantum Science and Technology•Feb 18, 2022•8 citations

Quantum information processing using frozen core Y3+ spins in Eu3+:Y2SiO5

Manjin Zhong, Rose L. Ahlefeldt, Matthew J. Sellars

In this paper, we present a method to investigate and control the dynamics of the nearby host nuclear spins (the 'frozen core') about a rare-earth ion doped in a crystal. Optically detected, double quantum magnetic resonance measurements were conducted on Eu 3+ Y 2 SiO 5 . The distinct magnetic resonant frequencies of nearby Y 3+ spins were measured along with the lifetime and coherence time of an individual Y 3+ spin. We demonstrate an entangling gate between the Eu 3+ spins and a Y 3+ spin associated with a particular position. Further, we propose a method to initialize the Y 3+ spin states, enabling the Y 3+ spins to be used as a quantum resource for quantum information applications.

New Journal of Physics•Mar 5, 2019•16 citations
We report the direct observation of Er-Y and Er-Si interactions in Er:Y2SiO5\mathrm{Er}:{\mathrm{Y}}_{2}\mathrm{Si}{\mathrm{O}}_{5}Er:Y2​SiO5​ by spin-echo measurements. Modulations in the spin-echo decay of Er3+{\mathrm{Er}}^{3+}Er3+ ions are due to magnetic interactions between the rare earth and the host nuclear spins. The closest yttrium ions were found to be out of resonance compared to the yttrium ions farther away from the rare earth. This strong ``frozen core'' effect around the Er3+{\mathrm{Er}}^{3+}Er3+ ions suggests that the influence of Y3+{\mathrm{Y}}^{3+}Y3+ ions on the decoherence processes of erbium is weaker than what can be deduced from the yttrium in the bulk.
Rare-earth related electron spins in crystalline hosts are unique material systems, as they can potentially provide a direct interface between telecom band photons and long-lived spin quantum bits. Specifically, their optically accessible electron spins in solids interacting with nuclear spins in their environment are valuable quantum memory resources. Detection of nearby individual nuclear spins, so far exclusively shown for few dilute nuclear spin bath host systems such as the nitrogen-vacancy center in diamond or the silicon vacancy in silicon carbide, remained an open challenge for rare earths in their host materials, which typically exhibit dense nuclear spin baths. Here, we present the electron spin spectroscopy of single Ce^{3+} ions in a yttrium orthosilicate host, featuring a coherence time of T_{2}=124 μs. This coherent interaction time is sufficiently long to isolate proximal ^{89}Y nuclear spins from the nuclear spin bath of ^{89}Y. Furthermore, it allows for the detection of a single nearby ^{29}Si nuclear spin, native to the host material with ∼5% abundance. This study opens the door to quantum memory applications in rare-earth ion related systems based on coupled environmental nuclear spins, potentially useful for quantum error correction schemes.
Rare earth ion doped crystals are state-of-the-art platforms for processing quantum information, particularly thanks to their excellent optical and spin coherence properties at cryogenic temperatures. Experimental observations have shown that the application of a static magnetic bias field significantly improves the coherence times in the rare earth ions ensemble, but only a few studies have focused on its dependency as a function of both magnetic field direction and amplitude. This is especially true for magnetic field amplitudes under the mT, and for low magnetic dipole moment ions. In this paper, we investigate the relationship between the magnetic field parameters and the decoherence caused by magnetic dipole-dipole coupling with the nearest-neighbor nuclear spins in the crystal. The primary non-Kramers rare earth ions investigated here are europium and praseodymium, but we also extend our study to the ytterbium Kramers ion due to its low magnetic dipole in the mT range. We perform theoretical investigations and simulations of the energy structure and coherence time evolution and identify good correspondences between experimental and simulated spin echo data. This work allows us to pinpoint the most relevant decoherence mechanisms in the considered magnetic field regime, and to predict favorable magnetic configurations.
Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy of rare earth ions in crystals is a powerful tool to analyze the hyperfine structure of the rare earth ground state. This can be useful for coherent spectroscopy and quantum information applications where the hyperfine structure of the electronic levels is used. In this work, we give a detailed analysis of the hyperfine structure of the ground state [4I15∕2(0)][^{4}I_{15∕2}(0)][4I15∕2​(0)] of Er3+{\mathrm{Er}}^{3+}Er3+ ions in Y2SiO5{\mathrm{Y}}_{2}\mathrm{Si}{\mathrm{O}}_{5}Y2​SiO5​. The electronic Zeeman, hyperfine, and quadrupole matrices are obtained from angular variations of the magnetic field in three orthogonal crystal planes. An excellent agreement is obtained between experimental and simulated magnetic field positions and relative intensities of EPR lines.
Elucidating magnetic structure with optical dopants: erbium-doped Gd2_22​SiO5_55​
The narrowness of the optical transitions of rare-earth-ion dopants makes them highly sensitive probes of their environment. We measured the optical transitions Er3+^{3+}3+ dopants to determine the previously unknown magnetic ordering of Gd2_{2}2​SiO5_{5}5​ -- a promising host for quantum applications of rare-earth dopants. By measuring the transitions' magnetic-field dependence we determined an antiferromagnetic ordering with spins oriented along or slightly canted from the crystal's a∗a^*a∗ axis. The optical transitions are narrower than the coupling to gadolinium spins revealing information about the coupling strengths. We further optically measured a Néel temperature of 1.86±0.01stat.±0.07syst.1.86\pm0.01_\mathrm{stat.}\pm0.07_\mathrm{syst.}1.86±0.01stat.​±0.07syst.​ K, and assembled a phase diagram in applied field and temperature showcasing a triple point where two gadolinium sites order semi-independently from each other. At high applied field the erbium dopants show long optical coherence times up to 0.4 ms at 3 T; at low fields these are probably limited by three low-frequency magnon modes below 10 GHz, observed directly. This study can be used to benchmark a method of magnetic structure determination.
Abstract Individual optical emitters coupled via coherent interactions are attractive qubits for quantum communications applications. Here, we present the first study of single pairs of interacting rare earth ions and determine the interactions between ions in the pair with high resolution. We identify two examples of Er 3+ pair sites in Er implanted Si and characterise the interactions using optical Zeeman spectroscopy. We identify one pair as two Er 3+ ions in sites of at least C 2 symmetry coupled via a large, 200 GHz, Ising-like spin interaction in both optical ground and excited states. The high measurement resolution allows non-Ising contributions to the interaction of < 1 % to be observed, attributed to site distortion. By bringing two optical transitions into resonance with a magnetic field, we observe a 0.8 GHz optical interaction of unusual magnetic-dipole/electric-dipole character with strong polarization selection rules. We discuss the use of this type of strongly coupled, field-tunable rare earth pair system for quantum processing.
In this paper, we present a method to investigate and control the dynamics of the nearby host nuclear spins (the 'frozen core') about a rare-earth ion doped in a crystal. Optically detected, double quantum magnetic resonance measurements were conducted on Eu 3+ Y 2 SiO 5 . The distinct magnetic resonant frequencies of nearby Y 3+ spins were measured along with the lifetime and coherence time of an individual Y 3+ spin. We demonstrate an entangling gate between the Eu 3+ spins and a Y 3+ spin associated with a particular position. Further, we propose a method to initialize the Y 3+ spin states, enabling the Y 3+ spins to be used as a quantum resource for quantum information applications.