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arXiv:1210.6195 · Physical Review Letters

Single-Shot Readout of Multiple Nuclear Spin Qubits in Diamond under Ambient Conditions

A. Dréau, Piernicola Spinicelli, Jeronimo R. Maze, Jean-François Roch, V. Jacques

Published Feb 5, 2013• 93 citations
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Abstract

We use the electronic spin of a single nitrogen-vacancy defect in diamond to observe the real-time evolution of neighboring single nuclear spins under ambient conditions. Using a diamond sample with a natural abundance of (13)C isotopes, we first demonstrate high fidelity initialization and single-shot readout of an individual (13)C nuclear spin. By including the intrinsic (14)N nuclear spin of the nitrogen-vacancy defect in the quantum register, we then report the simultaneous observation of quantum jumps linked to both nuclear spin species, providing an efficient initialization of the two qubits. These results open up new avenues for diamond-based quantum information processing including active feedback in quantum error correction protocols and tests of quantum correlations with solid-state single spins at room temperature.

DOI
10.1103/physrevlett.110.060502

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We use the electronic spin of a single nitrogen-vacancy defect in diamond to observe the real-time evolution of neighboring single nuclear spins under ambient conditions. Using a diamond sample with a natural abundance of (13)C isotopes, we first demonstrate high fidelity initialization and single-shot readout of an individual (13)C nuclear spin. By including the intrinsic (14)N nuclear spin of the nitrogen-vacancy defect in the quantum register, we then report the simultaneous observation of quantum jumps linked to both nuclear spin species, providing an efficient initialization of the two qubits. These results open up new avenues for diamond-based quantum information processing including active feedback in quantum error correction protocols and tests of quantum correlations with solid-state single spins at room temperature.
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Individual nuclear spins in diamond can be optically detected through hyperfine couplings with the electron spin of a single nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center; such nuclear spins have outstandingly long coherence times. Among the hyperfine couplings in the NV center, the nearest neighbor 13C nuclear spins have the largest coupling strength. Nearest neighbor 13C nuclear spins have the potential to perform fastest gate operations, providing highest fidelity in quantum computing. Herein, we report on the control of coherences in the NV center where all three nearest neighbor carbons are of the 13C isotope. Coherence among the three and four qubits are generated and analyzed at room temperature.
Projective measurement of single electron and nuclear spins has evolved from a gedanken experiment to a problem relevant for applications in atomic-scale technologies like quantum computing. Although several approaches allow for detection of a spin of single atoms and molecules, multiple repetitions of the experiment that are usually required for achieving a detectable signal obscure the intrinsic quantum nature of the spin's behavior. We demonstrated single-shot, projective measurement of a single nuclear spin in diamond using a quantum nondemolition measurement scheme, which allows real-time observation of an individual nuclear spin's state in a room-temperature solid. Such an ideal measurement is crucial for realization of, for example, quantum error correction protocols in a quantum register.
Abstract High-fidelity projective readout of a qubit’s state in a single experimental repetition is a prerequisite for various quantum protocols of sensing and computing. Achieving single-shot readout is challenging for solid-state qubits. For Nitrogen-Vacancy (NV) centers in diamond, it has been realized using nuclear memories or resonant excitation at cryogenic temperature. All of these existing approaches have stringent experimental demands. In particular, they require a high efficiency of photon collection, such as immersion optics or all-diamond micro-optics. For some of the most relevant applications, such as shallow implanted NV centers in a cryogenic environment, these tools are unavailable. Here we demonstrate an all-optical spin readout scheme that achieves single-shot fidelity even if photon collection is poor (delivering less than 10 3 clicks/second). The scheme is based on spin-dependent resonant excitation at cryogenic temperature combined with spin-to-charge conversion, mapping the fragile electron spin states to the stable charge states. We prove this technique to work on shallow implanted NV centers, as they are required for sensing and scalable NV-based quantum registers.
Single-shot readout of qubits is required for scalable quantum computing. Nuclear spins are superb quantum memories due to their long coherence time, but are difficult to be read out in a single shot due to their weak interaction with probes. Here we demonstrate single-shot readout of a weakly coupled ^{13}C nuclear spin at room temperature, which is unresolvable in traditional protocols. States of the weakly coupled nuclear spin are trapped and read out projectively by sequential weak measurements, which are implemented by dynamical decoupling pulses. A nuclear spin coupled to the nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center with strength 330 kHz is read out in 200 ms with a fidelity of 95.5%. This work provides a general protocol for single-shot readout of weakly coupled qubits at room temperature and therefore largely extends the range of physical systems for scalable quantum computing.