%0 Journal Article
%T Spectroscopic investigations of a Ti:Tm:LiNbO3 waveguide for photon-echo quantum memory
%A N. Sinclair
%A E. Saglamyurek
%A M. George
%A R. Ricken
%A C. La Mela
%A W. Sohler
%A W. Tittel
%J Physics
%D 2009
%I arXiv
%R 10.1016/j.jlumin.2009.12.022
%X We report the fabrication and characterization of a Ti$^{4+}$:Tm$^{3+}$:LiNbO$_3$ optical waveguide in view of photon-echo quantum memory applications. In particular, we investigated room- and cryogenic-temperature properties via absorption, spectral hole burning, photon echo, and Stark spectroscopy. We found radiative lifetimes of 82 $\mu$s and 2.4 ms for the $^3$H$_4$ and $^3$F$_4$ levels, respectively, and a 44% branching ratio from the $^3$H$_{4}$ to the $^3$F$_4$ level. We also measured an optical coherence time of 1.6 $\mu$s for the $^3$H$_6\leftrightarrow{}^3$H$_4$, 795 nm wavelength transition, and investigated the limitation of spectral diffusion to spectral hole burning. Upon application of magnetic fields of a few hundred Gauss, we observed persistent spectral holes with lifetimes up to seconds. Furthermore, we measured a linear Stark shift of 25 kHz$\cdot$cm/V. Our results are promising for integrated, electro-optical, waveguide quantum memory for photons.
%U http://arxiv.org/abs/0911.4947v1