Optical lifetime and linewidth studies of the [formula omitted] transition in [formula omitted]: A potential material for quantum memory applications

Abstract

The effect of substituting deuterium for hydrogen in EuCl3·6H2O on the lifetime and homogeneous and inhomogeneous linewidths of the 7F0→5D0 transition at below 4K are investigated. It is observed that the transition lifetime increases from 116μs to 2.6ms and the homogeneous linewidth decreases from 4.1kHz to 430Hz. The sensitivity of the inhomogeneous broadening to the residual hydrogen concentration is estimated to be 91MHz/atm%. The potential of utilizing this crystal for quantum memory applications is discussed.