Related papers: Efficient optical pumping using hyperfine levels i…
Erbium doped solids are potential candidates for the realization of a quantum memory for photons at telecommunication wavelengths. The implementation of quantum memory proposals in rare earth ion doped solids require spectral tailoring of…
Solid-state impurity spins with optical control are currently investigated for quantum networks and repeaters. Among these, rare-earth-ion doped crystals are promising as quantum memories for light, with potentially long storage time, high…
Europium-doped crystal $\mathrm{Y}_2\mathrm{SiO}_5$ is an interesting platform for optical quantum memories, due to its long optical and spin coherence times. In this work, we investigate…
We present a comprehensive study of spin relaxation dynamics at cryogenic temperatures in a rare-earth-doped crystal used for quantum memory applications: $^{171}$Yb:Y$_2$SiO$_5$. Spin relaxation is indeed a major limiting factor for both…
We experimentally demonstrate hyperfine optical pumping of rubidium atoms probed by an evanescent electromagnetic field at a dielectric-vapor interface. This light-atom interaction at the nanoscale is investigated using a right angle prism…
The spin coherence time of $^{151}$Eu$^{3+}$ which substitutes the yttrium at site 1 in Y$_2$SiO$_5$ crystal has been extended to 6 hours in a recent work [\textit{Nature} \textbf{517}, 177 (2015)]. To make this long-lived spin coherence…
A new optical pumping scheme is presented that uses incoherent Raman transitions to prepare a trapped Cesium atom in a specific Zeeman state within the 6S_{1/2}, F=3 hyperfine manifold. An important advantage of this scheme over existing…
Rare-earth ion doped crystals are promising systems for quantum communication and quantum information processing. In particular, paramagnetic rare-earth centres can be utilized to realize quantum coherent interfaces simultaneously for…
Optical quantum memories are essential components for realizing the full potential of quantum networks. Among these, rare-earth-doped crystal memories stand out due to their large multimode storage capabilities. To maximize the multimode…
We apply optical pumping to prepare the lithium beam of our atom interferometer in a single hyperfine-Zeeman sublevel: we use two components of the D1-line for pumping the 7Li atoms in a dark state F,mF=+2 (or -2) sublevel. The optical…
We provide a universal discussion of the interplay between Rydberg-state electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) and optical pumping (OP) in a thermal Rb87 medium. By pumping the population to one single Hyperfine/Zeeman state, we…
Preparation of an atomic ensemble in a particular Zeeman state is a critical step of many protocols for implementing quantum sensors and quantum memories. These devices can also benefit from optical fibre integration. In this work we…
Coherent dark states in atoms, created by simultaneous interaction of two coherent light fields with a 3-level system, are of prime importance in quantum state manipulation. They are used extensively in quantum sensing and quantum…
We present a faster repumping scheme for strontium magneto-optical traps operating on the broad ${\mathrm{5s^2} ^1\mathrm{S}_0} - {\mathrm{5s5p} ^1\mathrm{P}_1}$ laser cooling transition. Contrary to existing repumping schemes, we directly…
Optical pumping is a technique for engineering atomic-sublevel population of desired atoms. We investigate the population evolution of Cesium atoms by employing Liouville equation. For this purpose, we apply a circularly polarized light at…
The generation of an out-of-equilibrium population of spin-polarized carriers is a keystone process for quantum technologies and spintronics alike. It can be achieved through the so-called optical spin orientation by exciting the material…
Quantum memory devices with high storage efficiency and bandwidth are essential elements for future quantum networks. Here, we report a storage efficiency greater than 28% in a Tm$^{3+}$: YAG crystal in elevated temperatures and without…
We present a novel optical cooling scheme that relies on hyperfine dark states to enhance loading and cooling atoms inside deep optical dipole traps. We demonstrate a seven-fold increase in the number of atoms loaded in the conservative…
Optical pumping is fundamental to high-precision measurement using thermal alkali-metal atoms in vapor cells. In applications such as atomic magnetometry, buffer gases (e.g., $\mathrm{N}_2$ or $\mathrm{He}$) at specific pressures are…
We report on the first realization of an integrated optical memory for light based on a laser written waveguide in a doped crystal. Using femto-second laser micromachining, we fabricate waveguides in Pr$^{3+}$:Y$_2$SiO$_5$ crystal. We…