Optical lifetime and linewidth studies of the image transition in image: A potential material for quantum memory applications

The effect of substituting deuterium for hydrogen in image on the lifetime and homogeneous and inhomogeneous linewidths of the 7F0→5D0 transition at below 4 K are investigated. It is observed that the transition lifetime increases from image to 2.6 ms and the homogeneous linewidth decreases from 4.1 kHz to 430 Hz. The sensitivity of the inhomogeneous broadening to the residual hydrogen concentration is estimated to be 91 MHz/atm%. The potential of utilizing this crystal for quantum memory applications is discussed.