Spins individuels dans le diamant pour l'information quantique

The principle of quantum information relies on processing information, not from a classical point of view but from a quantum one, in order to increase the efficiency of some computer algorithms. Fulfilling such a goal requires the construction of a quantum register, for instance by coherently putting together a large number of individual quantum systems which play the role of quantum information bits. In this respect, a lot of research has focused on the NV colored center of diamond as it constitutes one of the few systems which can be used as a solid-state quantum bit at room temperature. This doctoral thesis studies the interactions between the NV electronic spin and surrounding nuclear spins located in the diamond matrix, with the intention of creating diamond quantum hybrid systems. We first explain how the NV electronic spin can be used to detect nuclear spins dispersed inside the diamond. Then, we use the NV center as an ancillary quantum bit to initialize the state of these nuclear spins, either by benefitting from a level-anticrossing, or by implementing a projective measurement. Finally, we analyse the origins of the limitation of the coherence time of NV centers in ultrapure diamond samples caused by the interaction with a surrounding nuclear spin bath. Besides their interest for quantum information processing, the study and control of spins in diamond also open the path to making highly sensitive nano-sensors, for which applications can be found in numerous fields of modern physics.L'information quantique repose sur un traitement de l'information, non plus de manière classique, mais de manière quantique, afin d'augmenter l'efficacité de certains algorithmes informatiques. Un tel objectif nécessite de construire des registres quantiques fondés, par exemple, sur l'assemblage cohérent d'un grand nombre de systèmes quantiques individuels qui jouent alors le rôle de bits d'information quantiques. Dans ce contexte, le centre coloré NV du diamant fait l’objet de nombreuses recherches car il est l’un des rares systèmes pouvant être utilisé comme bit quantique à l’état solide et à température ambiante. Cette thèse étudie les interactions du spin électronique du centre NV avec des spins nucléaires présents dans la matrice de diamant, dans le but de créer des registres quantiques hybrides dans le diamant. Dans un premier temps, nous expliquerons comment le spin électronique du centre NV peut être utilisé pour détecter des spins nucléaires disséminés dans le diamant. Puis, le centre NV sera exploité comme bit quantique auxiliaire pour initialiser l'état de ces spins nucléaires, soit en tirant profit d'un anti-croisement de niveaux, soit en implémentant une mesure projective. Enfin, nous analyserons les origines des limitations des temps de cohérence des centres NV dans les échantillons de diamant ultrapurs, provenant de l'interaction avec un bain de spins nucléaires environnant. Outre leur intérêt en information quantique, l’étude et le contrôle des spins dans le diamant ouvrent la voie à la réalisation de nano-capteurs ultrasensibles, dont les applications couvrent des domaines très variés de la physique moderne

Entanglement between a diamond spin qubit and a photonic time-bin qubit at telecom wavelength

We report on the realization and verification of quantum entanglement between an NV electron spin qubit and a telecom-band photonic qubit. First we generate entanglement between the spin qubit and a 637 nm photonic time-bin qubit, followed by photonic quantum frequency conversion that transfers the entanglement to a 1588 nm photon. We characterize the resulting state by correlation measurements in different bases and find a lower bound to the Bell state fidelity of F = 0.77 +/- 0.03. This result presents an important step towards extending quantum networks via optical fiber infrastructure

Purcell enhancement of silicon W centers in circular Bragg grating cavities

Generating single photons on demand in silicon is a challenge to the scalability of silicon-on-insulator integrated quantum photonic chips. While several defects acting as artificial atoms have recently demonstrated an ability to generate antibunched single photons, practical applications require tailoring of their emission through quantum cavity effects. In this work, we perform cavity quantum electrodynamics experiments with ensembles of artificial atoms embedded in silicon-on-insulator microresonators. The emitters under study, known as W color centers, are silicon tri-interstitial defects created upon self-ion implantation and thermal annealing. The resonators consist of circular Bragg grating cavities, designed for moderate Purcell enhancement ($F_p=12.5$) and efficient luminescence extraction ($\eta_{coll}=40\%$ for a numerical aperture of 0.26) for W centers located at the mode antinode. When the resonant frequency mode of the cavity is tuned with the zero-phonon transition of the emitters at 1218 nm, we observe a 20-fold enhancement of the zero-phonon line intensity, together with a two-fold decrease of the total relaxation time in time-resolved photoluminescence experiments. Based on finite-difference time-domain simulations, we propose a detailed theoretical analysis of Purcell enhancement for an ensemble of W centers, considering the overlap between the emitters and the resonant cavity mode. We obtain a good agreement with our experimental results assuming a quantum efficiency of $65 \pm 10 \%$ for the emitters in bulk silicon. Therefore, W centers open promising perspectives for the development of on-demand sources of single photons, harnessing cavity quantum electrodynamics in silicon photonic chips

Purcell Enhancement of Silicon W Centers in Circular Bragg Grating Cavities

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Single G centers in silicon fabricated by co-implantation with carbon and proton

International audienceWe report the fabrication of isolated G centers in silicon with single photon emission at optical telecommunication wavelengths. Our sample is made from a silicon-on-insulator wafer, which is locally implanted with carbon ions and protons at various fluences. Decreasing the implantation fluences enables us to gradually switch from large ensembles to isolated single defects, reaching areal densities of G centers down to ∼0.2 μm$^{−2}$ . Single defect creation is demonstrated by photon antibunching in intensity-correlation experiments, thus establishing our approach as an effective procedure for generating single artificial atoms in silicon for future quantum technologies

Broad Diversity of Near-Infrared Single-Photon Emitters in Silicon

We report the detection of individual emitters in silicon belonging to seven different families of optically active point defects. These fluorescent centers are created by carbon implantation of a commercial silicon- on-insulator wafer usually employed for integrated photonics. Single photon emission is demonstrated over the 1.1–1.55 μm range, spanning the O and C telecom bands. We analyze their photoluminescence spectra, dipolar emissions, and optical relaxation dynamics at 10 K. For a specific family, we show a constant emission intensity at saturation from 10 K to temperatures well above the 77 K liquid nitrogen temperature. Given the advanced control over nanofabrication and integration in silicon, these individual artificial atoms are promising systems to investigate for Si-based quantum technologies