Low-Temperature Optical Dephasing of Rare-Earth Ions in Glass

Abstract

A theoretical description of the temperature-dependent dephasing rate of rare-earth ions in glass is given for temperatures $T<\mathrm{}1\mathrm{}$ K. The model invokes elastic dipole-dipole interactions between the rare-earth ions and atomic tunneling systems. The calculation explains features of a recent photon-echo experiment on Si${\mathrm{O}}_2$:${\mathrm{Nd}}^{3+}$, namely, the magnitude and $T^{1.3}$ dependence of the dephasing rate.