617 research outputs found

    Spin Readout Techniques of the Nitrogen-Vacancy Center in Diamond

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    The diamond nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center is a leading platform for quantum information science due to its optical addressability and room-temperature spin coherence. However, measurements of the NV center's spin state typically require averaging over many cycles to overcome noise. Here, we review several approaches to improve the readout performance and highlight future avenues of research that could enable single-shot electron-spin readout at room temperature.Comment: 21 pages, 7 figure

    Optical patterning of trapped charge in nitrogen-doped diamond

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    The nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centre in diamond is emerging as a promising platform for solid-state quantum information processing and nanoscale metrology. Of interest in these applications is the manipulation of the NV charge, which can be attained by optical excitation. Here we use two-color optical microscopy to investigate the dynamics of NV photo-ionization, charge diffusion, and trapping in type-1b diamond. We combine fixed-point laser excitation and scanning fluorescence imaging to locally alter the concentration of negatively charged NVs, and to subsequently probe the corresponding redistribution of charge. We uncover the formation of spatial patterns of trapped charge, which we qualitatively reproduce via a model of the interplay between photo-excited carriers and atomic defects. Further, by using the NV as a probe, we map the relative fraction of positively charged nitrogen upon localized optical excitation. These observations may prove important to transporting quantum information between NVs or to developing three-dimensional, charge-based memories

    Electrically driven optical interferometry with spins in silicon carbide

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    Interfacing solid-state defect electron spins to other quantum systems is an ongoing challenge. The ground-state spin's weak coupling to its environment bestows excellent coherence properties, but also limits desired drive fields. The excited-state orbitals of these electrons, however, can exhibit stronger coupling to phononic and electric fields. Here, we demonstrate electrically driven coherent quantum interference in the optical transition of single, basally oriented divacancies in commercially available 4H silicon carbide. By applying microwave frequency electric fields, we coherently drive the divacancy's excited-state orbitals and induce Landau-Zener-Stuckelberg interference fringes in the resonant optical absorption spectrum. Additionally, we find remarkably coherent optical and spin subsystems enabled by the basal divacancy's symmetry. These properties establish divacancies as strong candidates for quantum communication and hybrid system applications, where simultaneous control over optical and spin degrees of freedom is paramount.Comment: 17 pages, 4 figure

    Pump-Enhanced Continuous-Wave Magnetometry using Nitrogen-Vacancy Ensembles

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    Ensembles of nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond are a highly promising platform for high-sensitivity magnetometry, whose efficacy is often based on efficiently generating and monitoring magnetic-field dependent infrared fluorescence. Here we report on an increased sensing efficiency with the use of a 532-nm resonant confocal cavity and a microwave resonator antenna for measuring the local magnetic noise density using the intrinsic nitrogen-vacancy concentration of a chemical-vapor deposited single-crystal diamond. We measure a near-shot-noise-limited magnetic noise floor of 200 pT/Hz\sqrt{\text{Hz}} spanning a bandwidth up to 159 Hz, and an extracted sensitivity of approximately 3 nT/Hz\sqrt{\text{Hz}}, with further enhancement limited by the noise floor of the lock-in amplifier and the laser damage threshold of the optical components. Exploration of the microwave and optical pump-rate parameter space demonstrates a linewidth-narrowing regime reached by virtue of using the optical cavity, allowing an enhanced sensitivity to be achieved, despite an unoptimized collection efficiency of <2 %, and a low nitrogen-vacancy concentration of about 0.2 ppb.Comment: 10 pages and 5 figure

    Nitrogen-vacancy singlet manifold ionization energy

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    The singlet states of the negatively-charged nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond play a key role in its optical spin control and readout. In this work, the hitherto unknown ionization energy of the singlet is measured experimentally and found to be between 1.91-2.25 eV. This is obtained by analyzing photoluminescence measurements incorporating spin control and NV charge state differentiation, along with simulations based on the nitrogen-vacancy's master equation. This work establishes a protocol for a more accurate estimate of this ionization energy, which can possibly lead to improved read-out methods
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