Observation of a Long-lived Electronic Coherence Modulated by Vibrational Dynamics in Molecular Nd³⁺-Complexes at Room Temperature

Temporally delayed, phase-locked coherent pairs of near IR femtosecond laser pulses were employed to study electronic coherences in molecular Nd3+-complexes at room temperature. Dissolved and solid complexes were studied under a confocal microscope set-up with fluorescence detection. The observed electronic coherence on a few hundred femtoseconds time scale is modulated by additional coherent wave packet dynamics, which we attribute mainly to be vibrational in nature. In future, the complexes may serve as prototypes for possible applications in quantum information technology.