  We report on the immersion of a spin-qubit encoded in a single trapped ion
into a spin-polarized neutral atom environment, which possesses both continuous
(motional) and discrete (spin) degrees of freedom. The environment offers the
possibility of a precise microscopic description, which allows us to understand
dynamics and decoherence from first principles. We observe the spin dynamics of
the qubit and measure the decoherence times (T1 and T2), which are determined
by the spin-exchange interaction as well as by an unexpectedly strong
spin-nonconserving coupling mechanism.
