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arXiv:2206.10156 · Physical Review Applied

Electric-Field-Induced Coherent Control of Nitrogen-Vacancy Centers

Gerald Q. Yan, Senlei Li, Tatsuya Yamamoto, Mengqi Huang, Nathan J. McLaughlin, Takayuki Nozaki, Hailong Wang, Shinji Yuasa, Chunhui Du

Published Dec 12, 2022• 12 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Enabling scalable and energy-efficient control of spin defects in solid-state media is desirable for realizing transformative quantum information technologies. Exploiting voltage-controlled magnetic anisotropy, we report the coherent manipulation of nitrogen-vacancy ($\mathrm{N}$-V) centers by spatially confined magnetic stray fields produced by a proximate resonant magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ). Remarkably, the coherent coupling between $\mathrm{N}$-V centers and the MTJ can be systematically controlled by a dc bias voltage, allowing for appreciable electrical tunability in the presented hybrid system. In comparison with current state-of-the-art techniques, the demonstrated $\mathrm{N}$-V-based quantum operational platform exhibits significant advantages in scalability, device compatibility, and energy efficiency, further expanding the role of $\mathrm{N}$-V centers in a broad range of quantum computing, sensing, and communications applications.

DOI
10.1103/physrevapplied.18.064031

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Enabling scalable and energy-efficient control of spin defects in solid-state media is desirable for realizing transformative quantum information technologies. Exploiting voltage-controlled magnetic anisotropy, we report the coherent manipulation of nitrogen-vacancy (N\mathrm{N}N-V) centers by spatially confined magnetic stray fields produced by a proximate resonant magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ). Remarkably, the coherent coupling between N\mathrm{N}N-V centers and the MTJ can be systematically controlled by a dc bias voltage, allowing for appreciable electrical tunability in the presented hybrid system. In comparison with current state-of-the-art techniques, the demonstrated N\mathrm{N}N-V-based quantum operational platform exhibits significant advantages in scalability, device compatibility, and energy efficiency, further expanding the role of N\mathrm{N}N-V centers in a broad range of quantum computing, sensing, and communications applications.
Abstract Nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers, optically active atomic defects in diamond, have attracted tremendous interest for quantum sensing, network, and computing applications due to their excellent quantum coherence and remarkable versatility in a real, ambient environment. One of the critical challenges to develop NV-based quantum operation platforms results from the difficulty in locally addressing the quantum spin states of individual NV spins in a scalable, energy-efficient manner. Here, we report electrical control of the coherent spin rotation rate of a single-spin qubit in NV-magnet based hybrid quantum systems. By utilizing electrically generated spin currents, we are able to achieve efficient tuning of magnetic damping and the amplitude of the dipole fields generated by a micrometer-sized resonant magnet, enabling electrical control of the Rabi oscillation frequency of NV spins. Our results highlight the potential of NV centers in designing functional hybrid solid-state systems for next-generation quantum-information technologies. The demonstrated coupling between the NV centers and the propagating spin waves harbored by a magnetic insulator further points to the possibility to establish macroscale entanglement between distant spin qubits.
Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond and superconducting qubits are two promising solid-state quantum systems for quantum science and technology, but the realization of controlled interfaces between individual solid-state spins and superconducting qubits remains fundamentally challenging. Here, we propose and analyze a hybrid quantum system consisting of a magnetic skyrmion, an NV center, and a superconducting qubit, where the solid-state qubits are both positioned in proximity to the skyrmion structure in a thin magnetic disk. We show that it is experimentally feasible to achieve strong (coherent or dissipative) coupling between the NV center and the superconducting qubit by using the as an intermediary. This allows coherent information transfer and nonreciprocal responses between the NV center and the superconducting qubit at the single quantum level with high controllability. The proposed platform provides a scalable pathway for implementing quantum protocols that synergistically exploit the complementary advantages of spin-based quantum memories, microwave-frequency superconducting circuits, and topologically protected magnetic excitations.
We investigate coherent quantum control of a nitrogen vacancy (NV) center in diamond with microwave fields generated from a nanoscale magnet that is proximal to the NV center. Our results show remarkable coherent control with high contrast Rabi oscillations using nearfield microwaves from shape anisotropic nanomagnets of lateral dimensions down to 200 nm x 180 nm, driven remotely by surface acoustic wave (SAW) excitation that is at least 400 times and potentially 4 orders of magnitude more energy efficient than generating microwaves with an antenna. Furthermore, we show that varying the acoustic power driving such nanomagnets can achieve control over Rabi frequency. We also report spin-lattice relaxation time T1 is 103 +/-0.5 micro-seconds, the spin-spin relaxation time T2 is 1.23+/-0.29 micro-seconds, and the Ramsey coherence time T2* is 218+/-27 nanoseconds measured using microwave pulses generated by such nanomagnets. The use of the nanoscale magnets to implement highly localized and energy efficient coherent quantum control can replace thermally noisy microwave circuits and demonstrate a path to scalable quantum computing and sensing with NV-defects in diamond and other spin qubits.
Quantum technologies are transitioning from proof-of-principle experiments to practical everyday applications. As this transition unfolds, it remains unclear which quantum system will offer the most suitable platform for specific tasks. While many candidate systems offer excellent control and demonstrate rapid progress, they often require demanding operating conditions such as cryogenic temperatures down to the millikelvin range. The nitrogen-vacancy (N-V) center in diamond is a notable exception. This optically active defect allows full control of its electronic spin state at room temperature and maintains long coherence times under ambient conditions, a prerequisite for many applications. This accessibility makes the N-V center uniquely suited for translating fundamental quantum concepts into deployable technologies. The applicability of N-V centers in quantum sensing, quantum control, and quantum simulation is the central focus of this thesis. After an introductory overview of the field, the thesis introduces the experimental and theoretical concepts that are necessary to understand the presented results. It proceeds to show how the operating regime of N-V centers as sensors for AC magnetic fields and nuclear spins can be extended to low and zero magnetic bias fields. Many commonly used sensing protocols require a magnetic bias field, which can alter the investigated dynamics or may be infeasible to apply due to experimental constraints. This work describes how established sensing protocols can be adjusted for operation under these conditions, and presents novel sensing protocols that enable the detection of AC magnetic fields and nuclear spins in a regime where conventional protocols fail. These results highlight that precise control of the underlying quantum system is a must. Such control can be optimized using quantum optimal control, which allows one to improve the underlying gate operations in a closed-loop, black-box manner, provided a figure of merit can be found which reliably evaluates the gate-set's performance. As this performance can depend on the specific application, the following part of this thesis defines and benchmarks several figures of merit for closed-loop optimal control using an ensemble of N-V centers. The strengths and limitations of these figures of merit are discussed, and the dependence of the optimization performance on several control and experimental parameters is analyzed. The achieved results are applicable to a broad range of other physical platforms, and can serve as a reference for experimental groups that aim to optimize their gate operations using optimal control. Building upon these insights into quantum control, the next part of this thesis presents the fabrication, control, and application of a room-temperature quantum simulator based on thin nuclear spin layers in diamond. A detailed assessment of the growth process is provided, and the dynamics that allow nearby N-V centers to initialize and read out the nuclear spins are thoroughly investigated. Furthermore, the nuclear spin layer is employed to create and study discrete time-crystalline order. The results demonstrate a scalable route for exploring quantum many-body phenomena under ambient conditions. The thesis concludes with a summary and discussion of all results and provides an outlook on future work based on these findings. In conclusion, this thesis demonstrates and expands the versatile use of N-V centers in diamond for quantum sensing, control, and simulation, highlighting their potential as a practical platform for future quantum technologies.
Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond have recently emerged as a unique platform for fundamental studies in quantum information and nanoscience. The special properties of these impurity centers allow robust, room-temperature operation of solid-state qubits and have enabled several remarkable demonstrations in quantum information processing and precision nanoscale sensing. This article reviews the recent advances in magnetic and optical manipulation of the NV center’s quantum spin and their importance for prospective applications. We discuss how quantum control of individual centers can be harnessed for the protection of NV-center spin coherence, for multiqubit quantum operations in the presence of decoherence, and for high-fidelity initialization and readout. We also discuss the progress in resonant optical control, which has led to interfaces between spin and photonic qubits and may lead to spin networks based on diamond photonics. Many of these recently developed diamond-based technologies constitute critical components for the future leap toward practical multiqubit devices.
The recent decade has witnessed exciting developments in quantum science and technology. Quantum sensing is a rapidly growing branch, which exploits the fragility of quantum systems to detect small external signals. The extreme control at the single-atom level and the remarkably long coherence time of engineered quantum systems enable unprecedented sensitivity and precision, beating the performance of classical techniques. The nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in diamond is one of the most promising quantum sensors. Its unique advantages have attracted considerable attention, including a long spin coherence time throughout a broad temperature range, nanoscale resolution limited by the sensor-sample distance, convenient optical control of its spin states and remarkably versatile sensing capabilities. Its properties are well studied under a bias magnetic field oriented along its quantization axis. However, its sensing capabilities in the presence of an off-axis magnetic field are much less explored. My research aims to unlock the full potential of NV quantum sensor by developing new sensing modalities under a magnetic field acting perpendicular to the NV axis, and furthermore, integrating them into a scanning probe microscope. In this dissertation, I will report our progress toward building a scanning NV multimodal quantum imaging platform, which will open up exciting opportunities in measuring nanoscale phenomena. The first chapter provides an introduction to the background of quantum sensing with NV centers, followed by a discussion on its basic properties and established sensing techniques. The second and third chapters are dedicated to two experiments performed under a perpendicular magnetic field where traditional NV magnetometry based on the Zeeman effect fails. In the second chapter, I will introduce a new sensing strategy that uses the entanglement between the electron and nuclear spins to restore the magnetic field sensitivity under this unfavored condition. This allows us to sense small changes in the magnetic field angle relative to the NV axis, and to detect anisotropic magnetic noise in the local environment. In the third chapter, I will present our latest development of scanning NV electrometry, where a single NV at the apex of a diamond scanning probe images external alternating (AC) and direct (DC) electric fields with sub-100 nm resolution. In the last chapter, I will discuss our efforts on four experiments that were left unfinished. I will present the results we have achieved, analyze the challenges that we faced and propose potential solutions to overcome them.