Berlin 2014 – scientific programme

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Q: Fachverband Quantenoptik und Photonik

Q 54: Photonics I

Q 54.5: Talk

Friday, March 21, 2014, 11:45–12:00, UDL HS3038

Detection of a single ion in a crystal via high-resolution spectroscopy — •Emanuel Eichhammer, Tobias Utikal, Stephan Götzinger, and Vahid Sandoghdar — Max-Planck-Institute for the Science of Light and Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), D-91058 Erlangen, Germany

We demonstrate the first detection of single rare earth ions in a crystal. The electronic structure of rare-earth ions offers optically addressable transitions in the 4f electronic shell, which are shielded against strong coupling to the crystal matrix by filled higher shells. The almost atom-like unperturbed properties of these ions at cryogenic temperatures together with long coherence times on the order of seconds and a ground state hyperfine substructure promise a new platform for quantum information applications. The weak fluorescence of a single ion has hampered the detection and spectroscopy of the narrow optical linewidths for more than two decades. By employing a narrow-band laser and confocal microscopy with a solid immersion lens, we have succeeded to not only detect but also resolve substructure in the single ion spectral response. We report on state preparation into specific hyperfine states, paving the way for quantum schemes such as stimulated Raman adiabatic passage with single ions. Finally we discuss methods in order to enhance the fluorescence response of a single ion.