skip to main content


Title: Hyperfine interactions and coherent spin dynamics of isotopically purified 167 Er 3+ in polycrystalline Y 2 O 3
Abstract 167 Er 3+ doped solids are a promising platform for quantum technology due to erbium’s telecom C-band optical transition and its long hyperfine coherence times. We experimentally study the spin Hamiltonian and dynamics of 167 Er 3+ spins in Y 2 O 3 using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. The anisotropic electron Zeeman, hyperfine and nuclear quadrupole matrices are fitted using data obtained by X-band (9.5 GHz) EPR spectroscopy. We perform pulsed EPR spectroscopy to measure spin relaxation time T 1 and coherence time T 2 for the 3 principal axes of an anisotropic g tensor. Long electronic spin coherence time up to 24.4 μ s is measured for lowest g transition at 4 K, exceeding previously reported values at much lower temperatures. Measurements of decoherence mechanism indicates T 2 limited by spectral diffusion and instantaneous diffusion. Long spin coherence times, along with a strong anisotropic hyperfine interaction makes 167 Er 3+ :Y 2 O 3 a rich system and an excellent candidate for spin-based quantum technologies.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1944715
NSF-PAR ID:
10395424
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ; ;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Materials for Quantum Technology
Volume:
2
Issue:
4
ISSN:
2633-4356
Page Range / eLocation ID:
045002
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. Using transition metal ions for spin-based applications, such as electron paramagnetic resonance imaging (EPRI) or quantum computation, requires a clear understanding of how local chemistry influences spin properties. Herein we report a series of four ionic complexes to provide the first systematic study of one aspect of local chemistry on the V( iv ) spin – the counterion. To do so, the four complexes (Et 3 NH) 2 [V(C 6 H 4 O 2 ) 3 ] ( 1 ), ( n -Bu 3 NH) 2 [V(C 6 H 4 O 2 ) 3 ] ( 2 ), ( n -Hex 3 NH) 2 [V(C 6 H 4 O 2 ) 3 ] ( 3 ), and ( n -Oct 3 NH) 2 [V(C 6 H 4 O 2 ) 3 ] ( 4 ) were probed by EPR spectroscopy in solid state and solution. Room temperature, solution X-band ( ca. 9.8 GHz) continuous-wave electron paramagnetic resonance (CW-EPR) spectroscopy revealed an increasing linewidth with larger cations, likely a counterion-controlled tumbling in solution via ion pairing. In the solid state, variable-temperature (5–180 K) X-band ( ca. 9.4 GHz) pulsed EPR studies of 1–4 in o -terphenyl glass demonstrated no effect on spin–lattice relaxation times ( T 1 ), indicating little role for the counterion on this parameter. However, the phase memory time ( T m ) of 1 below 100 K is markedly smaller than those of 2–4 . This result is counterintuitive, as 2–4 are relatively richer in 1 H nuclear spin, hence, expected to have shorter T m . Thus, these data suggest an important role for counterion methyl groups on T m , and moreover provide the first instance of a lengthening T m with increasing nuclear spin quantity on a molecule. 
    more » « less
  2. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy in combination with site-directed spin labeling is a very powerful tool for elucidating the structure and organization of biomolecules. Gd 3+ complexes have recently emerged as a new class of spin labels for distance determination by pulsed EPR spectroscopy at Q- and W-band. We present CW EPR measurements at 240 GHz (8.6 Tesla) on a series of Gd-rulers of the type Gd-PyMTA–spacer–Gd-PyMTA, with Gd–Gd distances ranging from 1.2 nm to 4.3 nm. CW EPR measurements of these Gd-rulers show that significant dipolar broadening of the central |−1/2〉 → |1/2〉 transition occurs at 30 K for Gd–Gd distances up to ∼3.4 nm with Gd-PyMTA as the spin label. This represents a significant extension for distances accessible by CW EPR, as nitroxide-based spin labels at X-band frequencies can typically only access distances up to ∼2 nm. We show that this broadening persists at biologically relevant temperatures above 200 K, and that this method is further extendable up to room temperature by immobilizing the sample in glassy trehalose. We show that the peak-to-peak broadening of the central transition follows the expected 1/ r 3 dependence for the electron–electron dipolar interaction, from cryogenic temperatures up to room temperature. A simple procedure for simulating the dependence of the lineshape on interspin distance is presented, in which the broadening of the central transition is modeled as an S = 1/2 spin whose CW EPR lineshape is broadened through electron–electron dipolar interactions with a neighboring S = 7/2 spin. 
    more » « less
  3. Abstract

    The crystal structure, electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS), heat capacity, and anisotropic magnetic and resistivity measurements are reported for Sn flux grown single crystals of orthorhombic Pr2Co3Ge5(U2Co3Si5-type,Ibam). Our findings show thato-Pr2Co3Ge5hosts nearly trivalent Pr ions, as evidenced by EELS and fits to temperature dependent magnetic susceptibility measurements. Complex magnetic ordering with a partially spin-polarized state emerges nearTsp= 32 K, with a spin reconfiguration transition nearTM= 15 K. Heat capacity measurements show that the phase transitions appear as broad peaks in the vicinity ofTspandTM. The magnetic entropy further reveals that crystal electric field splitting lifts the Hund’s rule degeneracy at low temperatures. Taken together, these measurements show that Pr2Co3Ge5is an environment for complexfstate magnetism with potential strongly correlated electron states.

     
    more » « less
  4. Abstract

    Photoexcited organic chromophores appended to stable radicals can serve as qubit and/or qudit candidates for quantum information applications. 1,6,7,12‐Tetra‐(4‐tert‐butylphenoxy)‐perylene‐3,4 : 9,10‐bis(dicarboximide) (tpPDI) linked to a partially deuterated α,γ‐bisdiphenylene‐β‐phenylallyl radical (BDPA‐d16) was synthesized and characterized by time‐resolved optical and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopies. Photoexcitation of tpPDI‐BDPA‐d16results in ultrafast radical‐enhanced intersystem crossing to produce a quartet state (Q) followed by formation of a spin‐polarized doublet ground state (D0). Pulse‐EPR experiments confirmed the spin multiplicity ofQand yielded coherence times ofTm=2.1±0.1 μs and 2.8±0.2 μs forQandD0, respectively. BDPA‐d16eliminates the dominant1H hyperfine couplings, resulting in a single narrow line for both theQandD0states, which enhances the spectral resolution needed for good qubit addressability.

     
    more » « less
  5. Abstract

    Photoexcited organic chromophores appended to stable radicals can serve as qubit and/or qudit candidates for quantum information applications. 1,6,7,12‐Tetra‐(4‐tert‐butylphenoxy)‐perylene‐3,4 : 9,10‐bis(dicarboximide) (tpPDI) linked to a partially deuterated α,γ‐bisdiphenylene‐β‐phenylallyl radical (BDPA‐d16) was synthesized and characterized by time‐resolved optical and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopies. Photoexcitation of tpPDI‐BDPA‐d16results in ultrafast radical‐enhanced intersystem crossing to produce a quartet state (Q) followed by formation of a spin‐polarized doublet ground state (D0). Pulse‐EPR experiments confirmed the spin multiplicity ofQand yielded coherence times ofTm=2.1±0.1 μs and 2.8±0.2 μs forQandD0, respectively. BDPA‐d16eliminates the dominant1H hyperfine couplings, resulting in a single narrow line for both theQandD0states, which enhances the spectral resolution needed for good qubit addressability.

     
    more » « less