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Zeeman spectroscopy of vacancy-charge-compensated Er3+ sites in CaWO4 under vector magnetic fields

Fabian Becker, Sudip KC, Lorenz J. J. Sauerzopf, Tim Schneider, Luis Risinger, Christian Schmid, and Kai Müller

Phys. Rev. Materials 10, 016203 – Published 8 January, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/mkpd-9r5p

Abstract

We present polarization-resolved optical absorption measurements on Er3+ ions in CaWO4 under vector magnetic fields, focusing on charge-compensated sites arising from local Ca2+ vacancies. While the known axial Er3+ site displays a single symmetric Zeeman-split transition pattern consistent with S4 symmetry, two additional sites exhibit more complex spectral behavior, including sets of transitions that interchange under 90∘ crystal rotations-evidence of reduced, rhombiclike symmetry. From these polarization- and temperature-dependent spectra, we extract effective g factors. Our findings are corroborated by electron paramagnetic resonance measurements and support a model of multiple inequivalent Ca2+ vacancies around Er3+ sites in the host lattice. This detailed characterization contributes to understanding defect-engineered rare-earth sites for quantum information applications.

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