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Journal of the Optical Society of America B

Measurement of the ground-state hyperfine coherence time of ^151Eu^3+:Y_2SiO_5

A. L. Alexander, Jevon J. Longdell, Matthew J. Sellars

Published Aug 30, 2007• 37 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We report on Raman echo measurements of the 151Eu3+Y2SiO5 ground-state hyperfine transition. Using Raman echoes in zero magnetic field the ground-state hyperfine coherence time was observed to be (15.5±2) ms. When an external magnetic field was applied, the dephasing time of the hyperfine transition was observed to decay nonexponentially, with a decay rate of (36±4) ms. This nonexponential decay is indicative of the presence of spectral diffusion, similar to that observed in Pr3+:Y2SiO5. This work indicates that under favorable conditions we can expect hyperfine coherence times longer than the value of 30 s recently reported in Pr3+Y2SiO5.

DOI
10.1364/josab.24.002479

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The optical spectroscopy and dynamics of three materials; Eu^3+:Y2SiO5, Pr^3+:Y2SiO5, and Tm^3+:Y2SiO5 that are of interest for application in persistent spectral holeburning optical memory and signal processing devices were investigated using linear and nonlinear spectroscopic techniques.Two-pulse photon echoes have been used to measure the homogeneous linewidths.The effects of instantaneous spectral diffusion were systematically studied to allow accurate determination of the optical resonance widths, and external magnetic fields were applied to characterize the effects of fluctuating nuclear spins of the host lattice on dephasing of the dopant ion.The 7F0 → 5D0 transition of 0.1% Eu^3+ in the two crystallographic sites of Y2SiO5 was studied using photon echoes.Using this material, we succeeded in measuring the narrowest optical resonance in a solid by shielding the crystal from stray electromagnetic fields and using sufficiently low laser power to minimize contributions from instantaneous diffusion.The homogeneous linewidths measured in a magnetic field of 100 G are 122 Hz (site 1) and 167 Hz (site 2).These widths are dominated by population decay, but up to 20 Hz is attributed to 89Y spin fluctuations which have been reduced by the applied magnetic field.Similar studies were performed to determine the contributions to the homogeneous linewidth of the 3H4(1) → 1D2(1) transition for both sites of 0.02% Pr^3+ in Y2SiO5.Linewidths of 2.1 kHz (site 1) and 0.85 kHz (site 2) were obtained with an applied magnetic field of 77 G.A significant contribution of 89Y nuclear spin fluctuations to the zero-field homogeneous linewidth was found.Optically detected nuclear magnetic resonance measurements determined the hyperfine structure of the 3H4 ground state for each site, and photon echo nuclear double resonance was used to determine the hyperfine levels of the lowest component of the 1D2 manifold. 3) 2.1? Ec,2S

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Hyperfine Structure and Coherent Properties of Erbium-167-doped Yttrium Orthosilicate

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Erbium-167-doped yttrium orthosilicate (167Er3+:Y2SiO5) is a rare-earth-ion-doped crystal which possesses unique properties that would make it an ideal microwave-addressed quantum memory. It has an optical transition at 1.5 µm, which lies in the telecom C-band where much of the optical telecommunications infrastructure is already operating. It also possesses both nuclear and electron spin states, and hyperfine structure with transitions at microwave frequencies. The hyperfine structure exhibits microwave frequency transitions with or without an applied magnetic field, which would allow for a memory compatible with superconducting systems. However, the complicated hyperfine structure has prevented the transitions of 167Er3+:Y2SiO5 from being fully utilised.\nWith the recent publication of new spin Hamiltonian parameters for the ground state of 167Er3+:Y2SiO5, we can predict which transitions should have the longest coherence time at zero field. Based on calculations using these spin Hamiltonian parameters, we used Raman heterodyne spectroscopy to investigate the hyperfine structure of 167Er3+:Y2SiO5 for small magnetic fields and for energy level differences from 600 to 1200 MHz. We observed many transitions from the 4I15/2 ground state, as well as the 4I13/2 excited state that until now has had little investigation regarding its hyperfine structure.\nBy comparing our spectra to the existing ground state spin Hamiltonian parameters, and unpublished excited state parameters, we identified the origin of many of the transitions. We observed differences between the predicted transition frequencies from both sets of parameters and the experimental data. The data obtained using Raman heterodyne was used to improve both ground and excited state parameters to give a better description of the zero-field hyperfine splittings.\nIn addition, we identified transitions from both the 4I15/2 ground and 4I13/2 excited state that have a small dependence on magnetic field. These transitions, with zero field frequencies of 879.4 MHz and 896.7 MHz respectively, yielded coherence times of 67 µs and 300 µs at 3.2 K, when measured with a two-pulse spin echo sequence. By using a dynamic decoupling sequence, we extending the coherence times of the transitions at 879.4 MHz to 380 µs and for the transitions at 896.7 MHz, to 1.4 ms.\nThese coherence time measurements demonstrate an improvement of a previous zero field coherence measurement in 167Er3+:Y2SiO5. By operating at lower temperatures, reducing the 167Er3+ ion concentration or using a different transition, it should be possible to extend the coherence time of 167Er3+:Y2SiO5 even further.

•Jan 1, 2018•3 citations
We report on Raman echo measurements of the 151Eu3+Y2SiO5 ground-state hyperfine transition. Using Raman echoes in zero magnetic field the ground-state hyperfine coherence time was observed to be (15.5±2) ms. When an external magnetic field was applied, the dephasing time of the hyperfine transition was observed to decay nonexponentially, with a decay rate of (36±4) ms. This nonexponential decay is indicative of the presence of spectral diffusion, similar to that observed in Pr3+:Y2SiO5. This work indicates that under favorable conditions we can expect hyperfine coherence times longer than the value of 30 s recently reported in Pr3+Y2SiO5.
In this Letter, we present a method for increasing the coherence time of praseodymium hyperfine ground state transitions in Pr(3+):Y(2)SiO5 by the application of a specific external magnetic field. The magnitude and angle of the external field is applied such that the Zeeman splitting of a hyperfine transition is at a critical point in three dimensions, making the first order Zeeman shift vanishingly small for the transition. This reduces the influence of the magnetic interactions between the praseodymium ions and the spins in the host lattice on the transition frequency. Using this method a phase memory time of 82 ms was observed, a value 2 orders of magnitude greater than previously reported. It is shown that the residual dephasing is amenable to quantum error correction.
We report a low-temperature spectroscopic characterization of the ground-state hyperfine transitions in 151Eu3+:Y2SiO5{}^{151}\mathrm{Eu}{}^{3+}{\mathrm{:Y}}_{2}{\mathrm{SiO}}_{5}151Eu3+:Y2​SiO5​ via coherent Raman scattering. Inhomogeneous linewidths of 21 and 38 kHz were measured for the ${I}_{z}=\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}\frac{1}{2}$ $\ensuremath{\leftrightarrow}$ $\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}\frac{3}{2}$ and the $\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}\frac{3}{2}$ $\ensuremath{\leftrightarrow}$ $\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}\frac{5}{2}$ ground-state transitions, respectively. Spin-echo decays were recorded for the ${I}_{z}=\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}\frac{1}{2}$ $\ensuremath{\leftrightarrow}$ $\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}\frac{3}{2}$ transition at zero field and for a small static magnetic field. In the latter case, analysis by a simple model gave an amplitude of 284 Hz and a correlation time of 3.5 ms for the transition frequency fluctuations. Application of a dynamical decoupling sequence resulted in coherence lifetimes up to 474 ms, an 18-fold increase compared to the spin intrinsic phase memory time of 26 ms.
Spin echoes in the ground and an optically excited state of 167^{167}167Er3+^{3+}3+:Y2_22​SiO5_55​ at near-zero magnetic fields using Raman heterodyne spectroscopy
Erbium-167-doped yttrium orthosilicate is an ideal candidate for a microwave-addressed quantum memory due to its telecom wavelength optical transition and hyperfine structure with and without an applied magnetic field. However, to date there has been little investigation in coherence times for transitions around zero magnetic field, or for hyperfine structure other than from the ground state. Through the use of Raman heterodyne spectroscopy, we have identified transitions at zero magnetic field with a small dependence on field that are suitable for detecting spin echoes for both the ground and excited state. We measured coherence times of transitions at 879.4 MHz and 896.7 MHz as 370 μ\muμs and 1.4 ms respectively at 3.2 K. This is a 100-fold increase in coherence time compared to previous measurements at the same dopant concentration and 200 times greater than the even isotopes of erbium-doped yttrium orthosilicate previously used to demonstrate a microwave memory.
We have measured the optical dephasing time of Er(3+) transitions near 1.5 microm in the two crystallographically inequivalent sites of Y(2)SiO(5), using an external-cavity diode laser amplified by an erbium-doped fiber amplifier. Two-pulse photon echoes were observed at zero field and in magnetic fields up to 55kG, with dephasing times as long as 580 micros (corresponding to a linewidth of 550 Hz). Stimulated echoes were also measured and showed evidence of spectral diffusion during the 13-ms lifetime of the (4)I(13/2) level.
The optical spectroscopy and dynamics of three materials; Eu^3+:Y2SiO5, Pr^3+:Y2SiO5, and Tm^3+:Y2SiO5 that are of interest for application in persistent spectral holeburning optical memory and signal processing devices were investigated using linear and nonlinear spectroscopic techniques.Two-pulse photon echoes have been used to measure the homogeneous linewidths.The effects of instantaneous spectral diffusion were systematically studied to allow accurate determination of the optical resonance widths, and external magnetic fields were applied to characterize the effects of fluctuating nuclear spins of the host lattice on dephasing of the dopant ion.The 7F0 → 5D0 transition of 0.1% Eu^3+ in the two crystallographic sites of Y2SiO5 was studied using photon echoes.Using this material, we succeeded in measuring the narrowest optical resonance in a solid by shielding the crystal from stray electromagnetic fields and using sufficiently low laser power to minimize contributions from instantaneous diffusion.The homogeneous linewidths measured in a magnetic field of 100 G are 122 Hz (site 1) and 167 Hz (site 2).These widths are dominated by population decay, but up to 20 Hz is attributed to 89Y spin fluctuations which have been reduced by the applied magnetic field.Similar studies were performed to determine the contributions to the homogeneous linewidth of the 3H4(1) → 1D2(1) transition for both sites of 0.02% Pr^3+ in Y2SiO5.Linewidths of 2.1 kHz (site 1) and 0.85 kHz (site 2) were obtained with an applied magnetic field of 77 G.A significant contribution of 89Y nuclear spin fluctuations to the zero-field homogeneous linewidth was found.Optically detected nuclear magnetic resonance measurements determined the hyperfine structure of the 3H4 ground state for each site, and photon echo nuclear double resonance was used to determine the hyperfine levels of the lowest component of the 1D2 manifold. 3) 2.1? Ec,2S
Erbium-167-doped yttrium orthosilicate (167Er3+:Y2SiO5) is a rare-earth-ion-doped crystal which possesses unique properties that would make it an ideal microwave-addressed quantum memory. It has an optical transition at 1.5 µm, which lies in the telecom C-band where much of the optical telecommunications infrastructure is already operating. It also possesses both nuclear and electron spin states, and hyperfine structure with transitions at microwave frequencies. The hyperfine structure exhibits microwave frequency transitions with or without an applied magnetic field, which would allow for a memory compatible with superconducting systems. However, the complicated hyperfine structure has prevented the transitions of 167Er3+:Y2SiO5 from being fully utilised.\nWith the recent publication of new spin Hamiltonian parameters for the ground state of 167Er3+:Y2SiO5, we can predict which transitions should have the longest coherence time at zero field. Based on calculations using these spin Hamiltonian parameters, we used Raman heterodyne spectroscopy to investigate the hyperfine structure of 167Er3+:Y2SiO5 for small magnetic fields and for energy level differences from 600 to 1200 MHz. We observed many transitions from the 4I15/2 ground state, as well as the 4I13/2 excited state that until now has had little investigation regarding its hyperfine structure.\nBy comparing our spectra to the existing ground state spin Hamiltonian parameters, and unpublished excited state parameters, we identified the origin of many of the transitions. We observed differences between the predicted transition frequencies from both sets of parameters and the experimental data. The data obtained using Raman heterodyne was used to improve both ground and excited state parameters to give a better description of the zero-field hyperfine splittings.\nIn addition, we identified transitions from both the 4I15/2 ground and 4I13/2 excited state that have a small dependence on magnetic field. These transitions, with zero field frequencies of 879.4 MHz and 896.7 MHz respectively, yielded coherence times of 67 µs and 300 µs at 3.2 K, when measured with a two-pulse spin echo sequence. By using a dynamic decoupling sequence, we extending the coherence times of the transitions at 879.4 MHz to 380 µs and for the transitions at 896.7 MHz, to 1.4 ms.\nThese coherence time measurements demonstrate an improvement of a previous zero field coherence measurement in 167Er3+:Y2SiO5. By operating at lower temperatures, reducing the 167Er3+ ion concentration or using a different transition, it should be possible to extend the coherence time of 167Er3+:Y2SiO5 even further.