Rare-earth metal organic frameworks for quantum information applications

Rare-earth atoms in solids are excellent candidates for atomic ensemble-based quantum memory due to their long-lived optical and spin lifetimes, high density of emitters, and suitability for photonic integration. In rare-earth doped systems, a major problem implementing long-lived, efficient quantum memory is the inhomogeneous broadening of the energy levels due to the site-to-site variations, which in doped materials is primarily caused by the dopant itself. Crystals that are stoichiometric in the rare-earth atom, i.e. the rare-earth species is part of the chemical formula of the crystal rather than a substitutional dopant for some element, have demonstrated the potential for smaller inhomogeneous line widths due to the lack of doping induced disorder. We investigate the potential of metal organic frameworks to host rare-earth atoms with narrow optical inhomogeneous linewidth as a platform for quantum memory and other related applications. We will present progress towards growing macroscopic single crystals and initial optical measurements of these high-density, rare-earth ensembles.