Observation of Acoustically Induced Dressed States of Rare-Earth Ions

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the formation of acoustically induced dressed states in erbium ions within a crystal, enabling on-chip control and advancing hybrid quantum systems involving telecom photons, phonons, and electrons.

Contribution

It introduces a novel method to create and observe dressed states of rare-earth ions using surface acoustic waves, enhancing quantum control capabilities.

Findings

Observation of multiple sidebands indicating strong ion-acoustic interaction

Reduction in sideband intensities near the surface

Potential for on-chip quantum control of long-lived ions

Abstract

Acoustically induced dressed states of long-lived erbium ions in a crystal are demonstrated. These states are formed by rapid modulation of two-level systems via strain induced by surface acoustic waves whose frequencies exceed the optical linewidth of the ion ensemble. Multiple sidebands and the reduction of their intensities appearing near the surface are evidence of a strong interaction between the acoustic waves and the ions. This development allows for on-chip control of long-lived ions and paves the way to highly coherent hybrid quantum systems with telecom photons, acoustic phonons, and electrons.