Abstract
Ultrafast and precise control of quantum systems at x-ray energies involves photons with oscillation periods below 1 as. Coherent dynamic control of quantum systems at these energies is one of the major challenges in hard x-ray quantum optics. Here, we demonstrate that the phase of a quantum system embedded in a solid can be coherently controlled via a quasi-particle with subattosecond accuracy. In particular, we tune the quantum phase of a collectively excited nuclear state via transient magnons with a precision of 1 zs and a timing stability below 50 ys. These small temporal shifts are monitored interferometrically via quantum beats between different hyperfine-split levels. The experiment demonstrates zeptosecond interferometry and shows that transient quasi-particles enable accurate control of quantum systems embedded in condensed matter environments.
Highlights
Ultraprecise probing and control of processes on their intrinsic time scales are essential to reveal fundamental dynamics in nature
The control of quantum systems is mostly performed via coherent excitation with photons
The experimental data are in perfect accordance with the model and demonstrate that the collective nuclear quantum state can be coherently controlled with magnons
Summary
Ultraprecise probing and control of processes on their intrinsic time scales are essential to reveal fundamental dynamics in nature. Coherent light-matter interaction in the hard x-ray regime couples quantum states with electromagnetic waves. The latter exhibit oscillation periods on the order of zeptoseconds associated with the involved x-ray energies of a few kiloelectron volts. Quantum optical concepts have been established in the regime of hard x-rays using nuclear [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8] or electronic [9] resonances, the associated zeptosecond time scale prevents application of established quantum optical control schemes at x-ray energies. Novel control schemes at these energies are called for to access these time scales and the corresponding phase shifts
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