Molecule-based coherent light-spin interfaces for quantum information processing -- optical spin state polarization in a binuclear Europium complex

The success of the emerging field of solid-state optical quantum information processing (QIP) critically depends on the access to resonant optical materials. Rare-earth ions (REIs) are suitable candidates for QIP protocols due to their extraordinary photo-physical and magnetic quantum properties such as long optical and spin coherence lifetimes ($T_2$). However, molecules incorporating REIs, despite having advantageous properties such as atomically exact quantum tunability, inherent scalability, and large portability, have not yet been studied for QIP applications. As a first testimony of the usefulness of REI molecules for optical QIP applications, we demonstrate in this study that narrow spectral holes can be burned in the inhomogeneously broadened $^5$D$_0\to^7$F$_0$ optical transition of a binuclear Eu(III) complex, rendering a homogeneous linewidth ($\Gamma_h$) = 22 $\pm$ 1 MHz, which translates as $T_2 = 14.5$ $\pm$ 0.7 ns at 1.4 K. Moreover, long-lived spectral holes are observed, demonstrating efficient polarization of Eu(III) ground state nuclear spins, a fundamental requirement for all-optical spin initialization and addressing. These results elucidate the usefulness of REI-based molecular complexes as versatile coherent light-spin interfaces for applications in quantum communications and processing.