Optical and spin manipulation of non-Kramers rare-earth ions in a weak magnetic field for quantum memory applications

Abstract

Rare-earth ion doped crystals have proven to be solid platforms for implementing quantum memories. Their potential use for integrated photonics with large multiplexing capability and unprecedented coherence times is at the core of their attractiveness. The best performances of these ions are, however, usually obtained when subjected to a DC magnetic field, but consequences of such fields on the quantum memory protocols have only received little attention. In this paper, we focus on the effect of a DC bias magnetic field on the population manipulation of non-Kramers ions with nuclear quadrupole states, both in the spin and optical domains, by developing a simple theoretical model. We apply this model to explain experimental observations in a $^{151}\mathrm{Eu}:{\mathrm{Y}}_{2}{\mathrm{SiO}}_{5}$ crystal, and highlight specific consequences on the atomic frequency comb spin-wave protocol. The developed analysis should allows predicting optimal magnetic field configurations for various protocols.