Optical Excitation and Decay Dynamics of Ytterbium Atoms Embedded in a Solid Neon Matrix

TL;DR

This study investigates the optical excitation and decay behavior of ytterbium atoms embedded in solid neon, revealing their metastable states and demonstrating homogeneous transition broadening, which advances understanding of atom-solid interactions.

Contribution

It provides new insights into the metastability and transition dynamics of ytterbium in solid neon, highlighting the homogeneous broadening mechanism.

Findings

Ytterbium atoms retain atomic structure in solid neon.

Metastable 6s6p $^3$P$_0$ level has lifetimes of tens to hundreds of seconds.

Transition broadening is confirmed to be homogeneous.

Abstract

Neutral ytterbium atoms embedded in solid neon qualitatively retain the structure of free atoms. Despite the atom-solid interaction, the 6s6p $^3$P$_0$ level is found to remain metastable with its lifetimes determined to be in the range of ten to hundreds of seconds. The atomic population can be almost completely transferred between the ground level and the metastable level via optical excitation and spontaneous decay. The dynamics of this process is examined, and is used to explicitly demonstrate that the transition broadening mechanism is homogeneous.