Strain-mediated ion-ion interaction in rare-earth-doped solids

Area of Science:

• Condensed matter physics
• Materials science
• Quantum optics

Background:

• Optical excitation of rare-earth ions induces local host matrix shape changes.
• This phenomenon is linked to alterations in the rare-earth ion's electronic orbital geometry.
• The resulting effect is termed piezo-orbital backaction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the consequences of piezo-orbital backaction in rare-earth doped materials.
• To develop a macroscopic model for understanding ion-ion interactions mediated by mechanical strain.
• To compare this novel interaction with established electric and magnetic dipole-dipole interactions.

Main Methods:

• Development of a macroscopic model to describe piezo-orbital backaction.
• Quantitative assessment of the strain-mediated ion-ion interaction.
• Comparison of interaction magnitudes using instantaneous spectral diffusion mechanisms.
• Re-examination of existing scientific literature on rare-earth doped systems.

Main Results:

• A previously disregarded ion-ion interaction, mediated by mechanical strain, has been identified.
• This strain-mediated interaction exhibits a 1/r3 scaling, similar to electric and magnetic dipole-dipole interactions.
• The magnitude of this interaction is quantitatively assessed and compared to other archetypal interactions.

Conclusions:

• The piezo-orbital backaction introduces a significant ion-ion interaction mechanism in rare-earth doped materials.
• This interaction contributes to spectral diffusion and influences material properties.
• The findings necessitate a re-evaluation of the role of strain-mediated interactions in various rare-earth systems.