Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

arXiv:2011.00153 · Materials for Quantum Technology

Spectral broadening and ultrafast dynamics of a nitrogen-vacancy center ensemble in diamond

Albert Liu, Steven T. Cundiff, Diogo Burigo Almeida, Ronald Ulbricht

Published Mar 29, 2021• 36 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Abstract Many applications of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond crucially rely on a spectrally narrow and stable optical zero-phonon line transition. Though many impressive proof-of-principle experiments have been demonstrated, much work remains in engineering NV centers with spectral properties that are sufficiently robust for practical implementation. To elucidate the mechanisms underlying their interactions with the environment, we apply multi-dimensional coherent spectroscopy to an NV center ensemble in bulk diamond at cryogenic temperatures. Our spectra reveal thermal dephasing due to quasi-localized vibrational modes as well as ultrafast spectral diffusion on the picosecond timescale. The intrinsic, ensemble-averaged homogeneous linewidth is found to be in the tens of GHz range by extrapolating to zero temperature. We also observe a temperature-dependent Stark splitting of the excited state manifold, relevant to NV sensing protocols.

DOI
10.1088/2633-4356/abf330

Related papers

Zero-phonon linewidth of single nitrogen vacancy centers in diamond nanocrystals

Yu-Min Shen, Timothy M. Sweeney, Hailin Wang

Photoluminescence excitation spectroscopy of nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers in type Ib diamond nanocrystals shows that in spite of spectral diffusion and spin-nonconserving transitions, zero-phonon linewidth as small as $16\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{MHz}$, which is nearly lifetime limited, can be observed at low temperature. Relatively small effects of spectral diffusion have also been observed in a small fraction of NV centers.

Physical Review B•Jan 11, 2008•85 citations

Coherent Optical Transitions in Implanted Nitrogen Vacancy Centers

Yiwen Chu, Nathalie P. de Leon, Brendan Shields +13 more

We report the observation of stable optical transitions in nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers created by ion implantation. Using a combination of high temperature annealing and subsequent surface treatment, we reproducibly create NV centers with zero-phonon lines (ZPL) exhibiting spectral diffusion that is close to the lifetime-limited optical line width. The residual spectral diffusion is further reduced by using resonant optical pumping to maintain the NV(-) charge state. This approach allows for placement of NV centers with excellent optical coherence in a well-defined device layer, which is a crucial step in the development of diamond-based devices for quantum optics, nanophotonics, and quantum information science.

Nano Letters•Mar 3, 2014•220 citations

Photoluminescence characterization of NV centers in CVD diamond as a function of different nitrogen doping levels for quantum sensing applications

Sierra Gómez, Javier, Silva Neto, José Vieira da, Trava Airoldi, Vladimir Jesus +1 more

Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in single-crystal CVD diamond are promising candidates for quantum sensing due to their remarkable optical and spin properties [1]. These defects exhibit stable photoluminescence (PL), long spin coherence times, and high sensitivity to external fields [2]. In this study, we present a room-temperature PL characterization of NV centers excited with a 532 nm laser. The setup was optimized for high signal-to-noise ratio and spectral resolution. Key parameters analyzed include emission intensity, zero-phonon line (ZPL) at ~637 nm, phonon sidebands, and the charge state distribution between NV⁰ and NV⁻. The NV⁻ state, crucial for spin-based sensing, is evaluated to understand its stability under different nitrogen doping conditions [3]. The relative intensities of NV⁰ and NV⁻ provide insights into nitrogen incorporation and vacancy formation. These results contribute to optimizing synthesis conditions for enhanced NV⁻ concentration, supporting the advancement of diamond-based quantum sensing technologies.

•Jan 1, 2025•0 citations

Temperature-dependent coherence properties of NV ensemble in diamond up to 600 K

Shengran Lin, Changfeng Weng, Yuanjie Yang +6 more

The nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in diamond is an ideal candidate for quantum sensing because of its excellent spin coherence property as well as the possibility for optical initialization and readout. Previous studies, on the other hand, have typically been conducted at low or room temperature. The inability to fully understand the coherence properties of the NV center at high temperatures limits NV's further applications. We systematically investigate the coherence properties of NV center ensemble at temperatures ranging from 300 K to 600 K in this paper. Coherence time ${T}_{2}$ decreases rapidly from $184\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}\ensuremath{\mu}\text{s}$ at 300 K to $30\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}\ensuremath{\mu}\text{s}$ at 600 K due to the interaction with paramagnetic impurities. At all experiment temperatures, both single-quantum and double-quantum transitions exhibit a ${T}^{5}$ relaxation rate, which is attributed to the two-phonon Raman process. Nonetheless, the inhomogeneous dephasing time ${T}_{2}^{*}$ and thermal-echo decoherence time ${T}_{\text{TE}}$ remain almost unchanged at temperature up to 600 K. A thermal-echo-based thermometer is demonstrated to have a sensitivity of $41\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}\text{mK}/\sqrt{\mathrm{Hz}}$ at 450 K. These findings will pave the way for NV-based high-temperature sensing and provide a more comprehensive understanding of solid-state qubit decoherence.

arXiv:2102.12790•Physical review. B./Physical review. B•Oct 26, 2021•17 citations

Coherent Optical Control of Atom-Like Defects in Diamond: Probing Internal Dynamics and Environmental Interactions

Michael Goldman

The nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in diamond has emerged as a versatile atom-like system, finding diverse applications at both ambient and cryogenic temperatures. At room temperature, the NV center's spin-triplet electronic ground state has a long coherence time and can be read out and initialized using nonresonant optical excitation, which has enabled a wide range of metrology and quantum information applications. At cryogenic temperatures, the NV center exhibits a variety of narrow, atom-like optical transitions, which has made the NV center a promising platform for quantum optics applications. We use coherent optical manipulation of the NV center at cryogenic temperatures to probe its internal dynamics and aspects of its interactions with its environment.\nFirst, we investigate the intersystem crossing (ISC) process, which is a spin-dependent nonradiative decay mechanism that enables the electronic spin state to be optically initialized and read out at room temperature. We measure the ISC rates from different excited states as well as the rate at which interactions with phonons redistribute population between these states. Based on these measurements, we develop a theoretical model that unifies the phonon-induced mixing and ISC mechanisms. We find that our model is in excellent agreement with experiment and that it can be used to predict unknown elements of the NV center's electronic structure.\nSecond, we investigate a novel method of using coherent optical manipulation of the NV center's electronic spin to control a nearby nuclear spin. Coherent interactions between the NV center and nearby nuclear spins have enabled the development of NV center-based, multi-qubit quantum registers, but these techniques have generally required the application of microwave or radio-frequency radiation. We demonstrate control of the nuclear spin using an all-optical Raman technique and theoretically evaluate the extent to which the intrinsic physics of the NV center limits the coherence of this Raman-based manipulation technique.

•Sep 7, 2017•0 citations

Observation of 12-GHz linewidth of zero-phonon-line in photoluminescence spectra of nitrogen vacancy centers in nanodiamonds using a Fabry-Perot interferometer

Hong-Quan Zhao, Masazumi Fujiwara, Masayuki Okano +1 more

Photoluminescence (PL) spectra of single nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers in 50-nm diamond nanocrystals at the zero-phonon line (ZPL) were directly observed using a Fabry-Perot interferometer at cryogenic temperatures. The narrowest linewidth of ZPL was 1.2 GHz (1.9 ± 0.7 GHz on average), comparable to ZPL linewidths in PL spectra reported for NV centers in pure bulk diamond. This observation is important to the application of NV centers for use in quantum communication and computation devices, and in nano-sensing.

Optics Express•Nov 22, 2013•17 citations
Abstract Many applications of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond crucially rely on a spectrally narrow and stable optical zero-phonon line transition. Though many impressive proof-of-principle experiments have been demonstrated, much work remains in engineering NV centers with spectral properties that are sufficiently robust for practical implementation. To elucidate the mechanisms underlying their interactions with the environment, we apply multi-dimensional coherent spectroscopy to an NV center ensemble in bulk diamond at cryogenic temperatures. Our spectra reveal thermal dephasing due to quasi-localized vibrational modes as well as ultrafast spectral diffusion on the picosecond timescale. The intrinsic, ensemble-averaged homogeneous linewidth is found to be in the tens of GHz range by extrapolating to zero temperature. We also observe a temperature-dependent Stark splitting of the excited state manifold, relevant to NV sensing protocols.
Photoluminescence excitation spectroscopy of nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers in type Ib diamond nanocrystals shows that in spite of spectral diffusion and spin-nonconserving transitions, zero-phonon linewidth as small as 16MHz16\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{MHz}16MHz, which is nearly lifetime limited, can be observed at low temperature. Relatively small effects of spectral diffusion have also been observed in a small fraction of NV centers.
We report the observation of stable optical transitions in nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers created by ion implantation. Using a combination of high temperature annealing and subsequent surface treatment, we reproducibly create NV centers with zero-phonon lines (ZPL) exhibiting spectral diffusion that is close to the lifetime-limited optical line width. The residual spectral diffusion is further reduced by using resonant optical pumping to maintain the NV(-) charge state. This approach allows for placement of NV centers with excellent optical coherence in a well-defined device layer, which is a crucial step in the development of diamond-based devices for quantum optics, nanophotonics, and quantum information science.
Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in single-crystal CVD diamond are promising candidates for quantum sensing due to their remarkable optical and spin properties [1]. These defects exhibit stable photoluminescence (PL), long spin coherence times, and high sensitivity to external fields [2]. In this study, we present a room-temperature PL characterization of NV centers excited with a 532 nm laser. The setup was optimized for high signal-to-noise ratio and spectral resolution. Key parameters analyzed include emission intensity, zero-phonon line (ZPL) at ~637 nm, phonon sidebands, and the charge state distribution between NV⁰ and NV⁻. The NV⁻ state, crucial for spin-based sensing, is evaluated to understand its stability under different nitrogen doping conditions [3]. The relative intensities of NV⁰ and NV⁻ provide insights into nitrogen incorporation and vacancy formation. These results contribute to optimizing synthesis conditions for enhanced NV⁻ concentration, supporting the advancement of diamond-based quantum sensing technologies.
The nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in diamond is an ideal candidate for quantum sensing because of its excellent spin coherence property as well as the possibility for optical initialization and readout. Previous studies, on the other hand, have typically been conducted at low or room temperature. The inability to fully understand the coherence properties of the NV center at high temperatures limits NV's further applications. We systematically investigate the coherence properties of NV center ensemble at temperatures ranging from 300 K to 600 K in this paper. Coherence time T2{T}_{2}T2​ decreases rapidly from $184\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}\ensuremath{\mu}\text{s}$ at 300 K to $30\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}\ensuremath{\mu}\text{s}$ at 600 K due to the interaction with paramagnetic impurities. At all experiment temperatures, both single-quantum and double-quantum transitions exhibit a T5{T}^{5}T5 relaxation rate, which is attributed to the two-phonon Raman process. Nonetheless, the inhomogeneous dephasing time T2∗{T}_{2}^{*}T2∗​ and thermal-echo decoherence time TTE{T}_{\text{TE}}TTE​ remain almost unchanged at temperature up to 600 K. A thermal-echo-based thermometer is demonstrated to have a sensitivity of 41mK/Hz41\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}\text{mK}/\sqrt{\mathrm{Hz}}41mK/Hz​ at 450 K. These findings will pave the way for NV-based high-temperature sensing and provide a more comprehensive understanding of solid-state qubit decoherence.
The nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in diamond has emerged as a versatile atom-like system, finding diverse applications at both ambient and cryogenic temperatures. At room temperature, the NV center's spin-triplet electronic ground state has a long coherence time and can be read out and initialized using nonresonant optical excitation, which has enabled a wide range of metrology and quantum information applications. At cryogenic temperatures, the NV center exhibits a variety of narrow, atom-like optical transitions, which has made the NV center a promising platform for quantum optics applications. We use coherent optical manipulation of the NV center at cryogenic temperatures to probe its internal dynamics and aspects of its interactions with its environment.\nFirst, we investigate the intersystem crossing (ISC) process, which is a spin-dependent nonradiative decay mechanism that enables the electronic spin state to be optically initialized and read out at room temperature. We measure the ISC rates from different excited states as well as the rate at which interactions with phonons redistribute population between these states. Based on these measurements, we develop a theoretical model that unifies the phonon-induced mixing and ISC mechanisms. We find that our model is in excellent agreement with experiment and that it can be used to predict unknown elements of the NV center's electronic structure.\nSecond, we investigate a novel method of using coherent optical manipulation of the NV center's electronic spin to control a nearby nuclear spin. Coherent interactions between the NV center and nearby nuclear spins have enabled the development of NV center-based, multi-qubit quantum registers, but these techniques have generally required the application of microwave or radio-frequency radiation. We demonstrate control of the nuclear spin using an all-optical Raman technique and theoretically evaluate the extent to which the intrinsic physics of the NV center limits the coherence of this Raman-based manipulation technique.
Photoluminescence (PL) spectra of single nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers in 50-nm diamond nanocrystals at the zero-phonon line (ZPL) were directly observed using a Fabry-Perot interferometer at cryogenic temperatures. The narrowest linewidth of ZPL was 1.2 GHz (1.9 ± 0.7 GHz on average), comparable to ZPL linewidths in PL spectra reported for NV centers in pure bulk diamond. This observation is important to the application of NV centers for use in quantum communication and computation devices, and in nano-sensing.