Optical decoherence and spectral diffusion at 1.5μm in Er3+:Y2SiO5 versus magnetic field, temperature, and Er3+ concentration

Thomas Böttger, C. W. Thiel, Y. Sun, and R. L. Cone
Phys. Rev. B 73, 075101 – Published 1 February 2006

Abstract

The mechanisms and effects of spectral diffusion for optical transitions of paramagnetic ions have been explored using the inhomogeneously broadened 1536 nm I1524I1324 transition in Er3+:Y2SiO5. Using photon echo spectroscopy, spectral diffusion was measured by observing the evolution of the effective coherence lifetimes over time scales from 1μs to 20 ms for magnetic-field strengths from 0.3 to 6.0 T, temperatures from 1.6 to 6.5 K, and nominal Er3+ concentrations of 0.0015%, 0.005%, and 0.02%. To understand the effect of spectral diffusion on material decoherence for different environmental conditions and material compositions, data and models were compared to identify spectral diffusion mechanisms and microscopic spin dynamics. Observations were successfully modeled by Er3+Er3+ magnetic dipole interactions and Er3+ electron spin flips driven by the one-phonon direct process. At temperatures of 4.2 K and higher, spectral diffusion due to Y89 nuclear spin flips was also observed. The success in describing our extensive experimental results using simple models provides an important capability for exploring larger parameter spaces, accelerating the design and optimization of materials for spatial-spectral holography, and spectral hole-burning devices. The broad insight into spectral diffusion mechanisms and dynamics is applicable to other paramagnetic materials, such as those containing Yb3+ or Nd3+.

  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Received 28 October 2005

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.73.075101

©2006 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Thomas Böttger*

  • Department of Physics, University of San Francisco, 2130 Fulton Street, San Francisco, California 94117, USA and Department of Physics, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana 59717, USA

C. W. Thiel, Y. Sun, and R. L. Cone§

  • Department of Physics, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana 59717, USA

  • *Permanent address: Department of Physics, University of San Francisco. Electronic address: tbottger@usfca.edu
  • Electronic address: thiel@physics.montana.edu
  • Present address: Department of Physics, University of SouthDakota, Vermillion, SD 57069, USA. Electronic address: ycsun@usd.edu
  • §Electronic address: cone@montana.edu

Article Text (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand

References (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand
Issue

Vol. 73, Iss. 7 — 15 February 2006

Reuse & Permissions
Access Options
Author publication services for translation and copyediting assistance advertisement

Authorization Required


×
×

Images

×

Sign up to receive regular email alerts from Physical Review B

Log In

Cancel
×

Search


Article Lookup

Paste a citation or DOI

Enter a citation
×