  We report the realization of the optically induced inverse population of the
ground-state spin sublevels of the silicon vacancies ($V_{\mathrm{Si}}$) in
silicon carbide (SiC) at room temperature. The data show that the probed
silicon vacancy spin ensemble can be prepared in a coherent superposition of
the spin states. Rabi nutations persist for more than 80 $\mu$s. Two opposite
schemes of the optical alignment of the populations between the ground-state
spin sublevels of the silicon vacancy upon illumination with unpolarized light
are realized in 4H- and 6H-SiC at room temperature. These altogether make the
silicon vacancy in SiC a very favorable defect for spintronics, quantum
information processing, and magnetometry.
