Optical dephasing mechanisms in Tm(3+):Y(2)Si(2)O(7).

Optical dephasing measurements are reported for Tm(3+):Y(2)Si(2)O(7) as a function of temperature and laser excitation intensity. By use of photon echoes, a coherence time of T(2) = 23 micros was measured at 1.24 K for the (3)H(6)(1) ? (3)H(4)(1) transition at 790.427 nm, corresponding to a homogeneous linewidth of 14 kHz. The relatively broad inhomogeneous linewidth of 100 GHz gives an inhomogeneous-to-homogeneous linewidth ratio of Gamma(inh)/Gammah = 7 x 10(6). This large ratio, a transition wavelength suitable for GaAlAs semiconductor lasers, and the absence of hyperfine structure hole burning make this material a good candidate for time-domain signal processing and transient optically addressed data storage.

[1]  W R Babbitt,et al.  Spatial routing of optical beams through time-domain spatial-spectral filtering. , 1995, Optics letters.

[2]  T. Mossberg.  Swept-carrier time-domain optical memory. , 1992, Optics letters.

[3]  Sun,et al.  Ultraslow optical dephasing in Eu3+:Y2SiO5. , 1994, Physical Review Letters.

[4]  R. Orbach.  Spin-lattice relaxation in rare-earth salts , 1961, Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series A. Mathematical and Physical Sciences.

[5]  N. Uesugi,et al.  Nonlinear laser spectroscopy of eu3+: Y2sio5 and its application to time-domain optical memory , 1992 .

[6]  N. Uesugi,et al.  Ultralong optical dephasing time in Eu(3+):Y(2)SiO(5). , 1991, Optics letters.

[7]  W. Babbitt,et al.  Coherent transient continuous optical processor. , 1994, Applied optics.

[8]  Wm. Randall Babbitt,et al.  Quasi-two-dimensional time-domain color memories: process limitations and potentials , 1994 .

[9]  J. Felsche.  Polymorphism and crystal data of the rare-earth disilicates of type R.E.2Si2O7 , 1970 .

[10]  G. A. Wilson,et al.  Experimental demonstration of swept-carrier time-domain optical memory. , 1995, Optics letters.

[11]  R Kachru,et al.  Coherent time-domain data storage with a spread spectrum generated by random biphase shifting. , 1993, Optics letters.

[12]  R. Macfarlane.  Photon-echo measurements on the trivalent thulium ion. , 1993, Optics letters.

[13]  T. Mossberg,et al.  Time-domain frequency-selective optical data storage. , 1982, Optics letters.

[14]  N. Uesugi,et al.  Time- and frequency-domain hybrid optical memory: 1.6-kbit data storage in Eu(3+):Y(2)SiO(5). , 1991, Optics letters.

[15]  T. W. Mossberg,et al.  Time-domain frequency-selective optical data storage in a solid-state material , 1988 .

[16]  Mitsunaga,et al.  Excitation-induced frequency shift probed by stimulated photon echoes. , 1992, Physical review letters.

[17]  A. Maqsood,et al.  Flux growth of polymorphic rare-earth disilicates, R2Si2O7 (R = Tm, Er, Ho, Dy) , 1979 .

[18]  Zhang,et al.  Excess dephasing in photon-echo experiments arising from excitation-induced electronic level shifts. , 1989, Physical review letters.