A high-resolution molecular spin-photon interface at telecommunication wavelengths.

Weiss, Leah R; Smith, Grant T; Murphy, Ryan A; Golesorkhi, Bahman; Méndez Méndez, José A; Patel, Priya; Niklas, Jens; Poluektov, Oleg G et al. · Science · 2025

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Optically addressable electronic spins in polyatomic molecules are a promising platform for quantum information science, with the potential to enable scalable qubit design and integration through atomistic tunability and nanoscale localization. However, optical state- and site-selection are an open challenge. In this work, we introduce an organo-erbium spin qubit in which narrow (megahertz-scale) optical and spin transitions couple to provide high-resolution access to spin degrees of freedom with telecommunication-frequency light. This spin-photon interface enables demonstration of optical spin polarization and readout that distinguishes between spin states and magnetically inequivalent sites in a molecular crystal. Operation at frequencies compatible with mature photonic and microwave devices provides an opportunity for engineering scalable, integrated molecular spin-optical quantum technologies.