Abstract

We report on Raman echo measurements of the ${}^{151}\mathrm{Eu}^{3+}:{\mathrm{Y}}_2\mathrm{Si}{\mathrm{O}}_5$ ground-state hyperfine transition. Using Raman echoes in zero magnetic field the ground-state hyperfine coherence time was observed to be $(15.5\pm 2)\mathrm{ms}$. When an external magnetic field was applied, the dephasing time of the hyperfine transition was observed to decay nonexponentially, with a decay rate of $(36\pm 4)\mathrm{ms}$. This nonexponential decay is indicative of the presence of spectral diffusion, similar to that observed in ${\mathrm{Pr}}^{3+}:{\mathrm{Y}}_2\mathrm{Si}{\mathrm{O}}_5$. This work indicates that under favorable conditions we can expect hyperfine coherence times longer than the value of $30\mathrm{s}$ recently reported in ${\mathrm{Pr}}^{3+}{\mathrm{Y}}_2\mathrm{Si}{\mathrm{O}}_5$.

© 2007 Optical Society of America

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