Y. Le Du

Optical excitation of nuclear spin coherence in a Tm 3+ :YAG crystal

A thulium-doped crystal is experimentally shown to be an excellent candidate for broadband quantum storage in a solid-state medium. The nuclear spin coherence is optically excited, detected, and characterized in such a crystal. The lifetime of the spin coherence—the potential storage entity—is measured by means of a new Raman echo protocol to be about 300 ! s over a wide range of ground state splittings. This flexibility, which is attractive for broadband operation and well fitted to existing quantum sources, results from the simple hyperfine structure, which contrasts to Pr- and Eu-doped crystals.

Tm{sup 3+}:Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} investigated for a quantum light storage application

In this paper, we investigate a new medium for quantum light storage in crystals. Indeed, Tm{sup 3+}:Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} exhibits all the features that are currently considered crucial for a storage protocol. First, optical measurements confirm our crystal-field analysis. Then, we explain how to tailor a three-level {lambda} system and ultimately measure the Stark coefficient in this material. To our knowledge, these properties have not been investigated at the same time in a thulium based crystal, for which both the operating wavelength and an adjustable storage bandwidth are significant assets that other rare-earth ions lack.

Optical coherent manipulation of a spin wave in tm:YAG

Nuclear spin states are optically characterized in thulium-doped YAG. Thulium is considered as a substitute to praseodymium and europium in the prospect of quantum light storage in solids.