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arXiv:1208.5628 · Physical Review B

Phonon-induced dephasing of chromium color centers in diamond

Tina Müller, Igor Aharonovich, Z. Wang, X. Yuan, Stefania Castelletto, Steven Prawer, Mete Atatüre

Published Nov 30, 2012• 20 citations
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Abstract

We report on the coherence properties of single photons from chromium-based color centers in diamond. We use field-correlation and spectral line-shape measurements to reveal the interplay between slow spectral wandering and fast dephasing mechanisms as a function of temperature. The zero-phonon transition frequency and its linewidth follow a power-law dependence on temperature, which is consistent with direct electron-phonon coupling and phonon-modulated Coulomb coupling to nearby impurities, which are the predominant fast dephasing mechanisms for these centers. Further, the observed reduction in the quantum yield for photon emission as a function of temperature suggests the opening of additional nonradiative channels through thermal activation to higher-energy states and indicates a near-unity quantum efficiency at 4 K.

DOI
10.1103/physrevb.86.195210

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We report on the coherence properties of single photons from chromium-based color centers in diamond. We use field-correlation and spectral line-shape measurements to reveal the interplay between slow spectral wandering and fast dephasing mechanisms as a function of temperature. The zero-phonon transition frequency and its linewidth follow a power-law dependence on temperature, which is consistent with direct electron-phonon coupling and phonon-modulated Coulomb coupling to nearby impurities, which are the predominant fast dephasing mechanisms for these centers. Further, the observed reduction in the quantum yield for photon emission as a function of temperature suggests the opening of additional nonradiative channels through thermal activation to higher-energy states and indicates a near-unity quantum efficiency at 4 K.
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The coherence characteristics of a tin-vacancy (SnV) color center in diamond are investigated through optical means, including linewidth broadening effects and coherent population trapping (CPT) between the ground-state orbital levels. Spectral analysis is required as due to the large spin-orbit splitting of the orbital ground states, thermalization between the ground states occurs at rates that are impractical to measure directly in the time domain. First, by implementing a temperature-dependent linewidth broadening measurement, including the challenging-to-measure D transition, phononic coupling coefficients are determined. These measurements are performed on an emitter with a lifetime-limited linewidth and atomlike properties, making the measurement representative for high-quality SnVs. Next, a CPT-type experiment is carried out to independently analyze thermal decoherence processes at 4 K. The spectral information is transformed into its conjugate variable time, providing picosecond resolution and revealing an orbital depolarization timescale of ∼ 30 ps . Consequences of the investigated dynamics are then used to estimate spin dephasing times limited by thermal effects.
Color centers in diamond are very promising candidates among the possible realizations for practical singlephoton sources because of their long-time stable emission at room temperature. The popular nitrogen-vacancy center shows single-photon emission, but within a large, phonon-broadened spectrum (≈ 100 nm), which strongly limits its applicability for quantum communication. By contrast, Ni-related centers exhibit narrow emission lines at room temperature. We present investigations on single color centers consisting of Ni and Si created by ion implantation into single crystalline IIa diamond. We use systematic variations of ion doses between 108 cm-2 and 1014 cm-2 and energies between 30 keV and 1.8MeV. The Ni-related centers show emission in the near infrared spectral range (≈ 770 nm to 787 nm) with a small line-width (≈ 3 nm FWHM). A measurement of the intensity correlation function proves single-photon emission. Saturation measurements yield a rather high saturation count rate of 77.9kcounts/s. Polarization dependent measurements indicate the presence of two orthogonal dipoles.
Transform-limited photon emission from quantum emitters is essential for high-fidelity entanglement generation. In this Letter, we report the coherent optical property of a single negatively charged lead-vacancy (PbV) center in diamond. Photoluminescence excitation measurements reveal stable fluorescence with a linewidth of 39 MHz at 6 K, close to the transform limit estimated from the lifetime measurement. We observe 4 orders of magnitude different linewidths of the two zero-phonon lines, and find that the phonon-induced relaxation in the ground state contributes to this huge difference in the linewidth. Because of the suppressed phonon absorption in the PbV center, we observe nearly transform-limited photon emission up to 16 K, demonstrating its high temperature robustness compared to other color centers in diamond.
Single-photon emitters are fundamental building blocks for quantum information processing, communication and sensing. However, unwanted interactions with bulk phonons in their host environment strongly limit their coherence and controllability. We report single color centers in nanodiamonds that are strongly and comprehensively decoupled from the bulk phononic environment. The color centers feature record-narrow linewidths down to 0.3 nm at room temperature and stable, bright emission, exceeding 10 Mcps in saturation. Notably, the bulk phonon sideband is almost entirely suppressed, revealing the presence of a single localized vibrational mode outside the diamond phonon band. Our observations and simulations point towards a unique mechanism for phonon decoupling in common wide-gap materials, based on a strongly radiative orbital transition coupled to a localized vibrational mode. The new color center enables qualitatively higher performance for applications in quantum networks and nanoscale sensing, and the exploration of new physical resources associated with vibrational states.