Selective optical addressing of nuclear spins through superhyperfine interaction in rare-earth doped solids

Benjamin Car, Lucile Veissier, Anne Louchet-Chauvet, Jean-Louis Le Gouët, Thierry Chanelière

Published 2017-09-06Version 1

In Er$^{3+}$:Y$_2$SiO$_5$, we demonstrate the selective optical addressing of the $^{89}$Y$^{3+}$ nuclear spins through their superhyperfine coupling with the Er$^{3+}$ electronic spins possessing large Land\'e $g$-factors. We experimentally probe the electron-nuclear spin mixing with photon echo techniques and validate our model. The site-selective optical addressing of the Y$^{3+}$ nuclear spins is designed by adjusting the magnetic field strength and orientation, an important step towards the realization of optically addressed long-lived solid-state qubits.