Detailed site-selective spectroscopy has been performed as a function of temperature on the ${}^7{F}_0{\leftrightarrow }^5{D}_0$ transition of ${\mathrm{Eu}}^{3+}:{\mathrm{Y}}_2{\mathrm{SiO}}_5$ for ${\mathrm{Eu}}^{3+}$ concentrations of 0.02%, 0.1%, 0.5%, and 1%. Time-domain optical dephasing, spectral hole lifetimes, anisotropic absorption coefficients, inhomogeneous linewidths, and fluorescence lifetimes for ${\mathrm{Eu}}^{3+}$ ions at both crystallographic sites were measured. The temperature dependence of the optical dephasing, transition energy, and linewidth of the ${}^7{\overrightarrow{F_0}}^5{D}_0$ absorption was measured and interpreted in terms of Raman scattering of phonons. Photon echo measurements of optical dephasing gave $T_2$ values as long as 2.6 ms, approaching the limit set by the fluorescence decay time. Spectral hole lifetimes were measured for temperatures from 2 K to 18 K, with observed lifetimes varying from 1 s at 18 K to an estimated value of greater than 20 days at 2 K. Anisotropic absorption coefficients were measured, and an increase in ${\mathrm{Eu}}^{3+}$ concentration from 0.02% to 7% produced an increase in the inhomogeneous linewidth ${\Gamma }_{\mathrm{inh}}$ from 0.5 GHz to ∼150 GHz, indicating that ${\mathrm{Eu}}^{3+}$ doping induces significant strain in the crystal. New determinations of many energy levels of ${}^7{F}_J$ multiplets have been made for $J=0\mathrm{}$ to 6.

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