Selective measurement of the longitudinal electron spin relaxation time $T_1$ of Ce$^{3+}$ ions in a YAG lattice: Resonant spin inertia

Abstract: Electron spin oriented along an external magnetic field is subject to longitudinal spin relaxation with characteristic time $T_1$. The corresponding decay is nonoscillating, so one cannot readily ascribe $T_1$ to a certain $g$ factor. This becomes a problem when several electronic states with different $g$ factors are present in the system, e.g. electrons and holes. We solve this problem by optically pumping spin polarization and then selectively depolarizing it using a radio frequency (rf) field. By modulating the rf field one can observe the retarded modulation of spin polarization which depends on the relation between the modulation period and $T_1$. Using this selective spin inertia method, we unveil the strong anisotropy of $T_1$ for rare-earth Ce$^{3+}$ ions in a YAG crystal at low temperatures and low magnetic fields. We also show that the spread of Larmor frequencies within the electron ensemble in this system is not static, but results from the fluctuations of internal magnetic fields on a timescale much shorter than $T_1$.