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

Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE

Suppression of inhomogeneous broadening in optically addressed solids for quantum computing applications (Invited Paper)

Philip Hemmer

Published May 23, 2005• 1 citation
Publisher

Abstract

Inhomogeneous broadening in optically addressed solids provides a convenient technique for individually addressing a large number of optically active defects in a crystal. Such a capability is important for quantum computer development. However, the random nature of inhomogeneous broadening can limit scalability. Here, techniques that can be used to suppress inhomogeneous broadening will be reviewed including a recently proposed VLSI quantum computer design based on nitrogen-vacancy (NV) color centers in diamond.

DOI
10.1117/12.610949

Related papers

Optically Addressed Quantum Computer in Diamond

Philip Hemmer

Design of a solid-state VLSI-type quantum computer using nitrogen-vacancy (NV) color centers in diamond will be described. The advantages are an optical “handle” and the potential for room temperature operation.

Frontiers in Optics•Jan 1, 2005•0 citations

VLSI quantum computer in diamond

Philip Hemmer, Steven Prawer, Elizabeth Trajkov +4 more

We discuss how Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) fabrication techniques can be used to build scalable solid-state quantum computers in diamond with either room temperature operation, or low temperature operation with photonic control. For this discussion we consider nitrogen-vacancy (NV) color centers where the qubits are electron and/or nuclear spins. To achieve scalability the NV centers are placed in well-defined locations using ion implantation, and are controlled using optical and/or microwave excitation as well as localized static electric and/or magnetic fields.

Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE•Feb 9, 2006•1 citation

Computation-aided design of color centers for quantum information processing

Song Li, Ádám Gali, Bing Qiang Huang

Optically addressable point defects in semiconductors, such as the nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in diamond, are promising candidates for quantum information processing. However, the NV center suffers from low emission efficiency in the zero-phonon line, a limitation that has motivated the development of alternative defect systems. Since exhaustive experimental discovery is impractical, recent advances have relied on computational methods to analyze defect parameters and design color centers with tailored properties. This perspective reviews recent progress in computational methods for the theoretical characterization of color centers, highlighting workflows and toolkits for their theoretical design, and discusses remaining challenges in the field.

Newton•Mar 3, 2026•1 citation

Light confinement in coherently driven defect states in solids

Jin‐Hui Wu, M. Artoni, Giuseppe Carlo La Rocca

Abstract Inhomogeneously broadened optical transitions in nitrogen‐vacancy color centers in diamond and Pr3+ doped yttrium orthosilicate may be employed to attain all‐optically controlled Bragg structures with photonic band‐gaps of high reflectivities and large bandwidths. Such a control mechanism is valuable for improving performance and scalability of solid quantum memory devices. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 51: 2722–2726, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24723

Microwave and Optical Technology Letters•Aug 25, 2009•0 citations

Reducing inhomogeneous broadening of spin and optical transitions of nitrogen-vacancy centers in high-pressure, high-temperature diamond

Rémi Blinder, Yuliya Mindarava, Thai Hien Tran +13 more

Abstract With their optical addressability of individual spins and long coherence time, nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond are often called “atom-like solid spin-defects”. As observed with trapped atomic ions, quantum interference mediated by indistinguishable photons was demonstrated between remote NV centers. In high sensitivity DC magnetometry at room temperature, NV ensembles are potentially rivaling with alkali-atom vapor cells. However, local strain induces center-to-center variation of both optical and spin transitions of NV centers. Therefore, advanced engineering of diamond growth toward crystalline perfection is demanded. Here, we report on the synthesis of high-quality HPHT (high-pressure, high-temperature) crystals, demonstrating a small inhomogeneous broadening of the spin transitions, of T 2 * = 1.28 μs, approaching the limit for crystals with natural 13 C abundance, that we determine as T 2 * = 1.48 μs. The contribution from strain and local charges to the inhomogeneous broadening is lowered to ~17 kHz full width at half maximum for NV ensemble within a > 10 mm 3 volume. Looking at optical transitions in low nitrogen crystals, we examine the variation of zero-phonon-line optical transition frequencies at low temperatures, showing a strain contribution below 2 GHz for a large fraction of single NV centers.

Communications Materials•Oct 10, 2024•12 citations

Spin-Based Lattice-Gas Quantum Computers in Solids Using Optical Addressing

Marlan O. Scully, Olga A. Kocharovskaya, George R. Welch +3 more

The purpose of this project was to develop quantum computing hardware suitable for implementing quantum lattice-gas algorithms, with eventual application to turbulent flow simulations. A number of quantum systems were investigated, including rare-earth dopants in oxide crystals and in II-VI semiconductors. However, in the option year it was decided to concentrate exclusively on nitrogen-vacancy (NV) color centers in diamond. Surprising, it was found that NV diamond exhibited the key elements needed to develop few-qubit room-temperature solid-state quantum processing nodes. This included the ability to optically initialize and readout the NV electron spin state, fractional millisecond lifetimes for electron spins, and few-nanosecond electron spin Rabi flops. We also demonstrated the relatively long distance (few nanometer) coupling of a single NV spin to the electron spin of a single substitutional nitrogen (N). To achieve long range optical interconnections and entanglement between nodes, cryogenic cooling will likely still be required to sufficiently narrow the optical absorption lines. To this end we located diamond samples with unusually high purity, and found NV centers in these crystals that exhibited exceptionally narrowband and stable optical lines. We also demonstrated electric field tuning of the optical transition frequency as required for controlling atom-atom and atom-cavity coupling.

•Apr 30, 2007•0 citations
Inhomogeneous broadening in optically addressed solids provides a convenient technique for individually addressing a large number of optically active defects in a crystal. Such a capability is important for quantum computer development. However, the random nature of inhomogeneous broadening can limit scalability. Here, techniques that can be used to suppress inhomogeneous broadening will be reviewed including a recently proposed VLSI quantum computer design based on nitrogen-vacancy (NV) color centers in diamond.
We discuss how Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) fabrication techniques can be used to build scalable solid-state quantum computers in diamond with either room temperature operation, or low temperature operation with photonic control. For this discussion we consider nitrogen-vacancy (NV) color centers where the qubits are electron and/or nuclear spins. To achieve scalability the NV centers are placed in well-defined locations using ion implantation, and are controlled using optical and/or microwave excitation as well as localized static electric and/or magnetic fields.
Optically addressable point defects in semiconductors, such as the nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in diamond, are promising candidates for quantum information processing. However, the NV center suffers from low emission efficiency in the zero-phonon line, a limitation that has motivated the development of alternative defect systems. Since exhaustive experimental discovery is impractical, recent advances have relied on computational methods to analyze defect parameters and design color centers with tailored properties. This perspective reviews recent progress in computational methods for the theoretical characterization of color centers, highlighting workflows and toolkits for their theoretical design, and discusses remaining challenges in the field.
Abstract Inhomogeneously broadened optical transitions in nitrogen‐vacancy color centers in diamond and Pr3+ doped yttrium orthosilicate may be employed to attain all‐optically controlled Bragg structures with photonic band‐gaps of high reflectivities and large bandwidths. Such a control mechanism is valuable for improving performance and scalability of solid quantum memory devices. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 51: 2722–2726, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24723
Abstract With their optical addressability of individual spins and long coherence time, nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond are often called “atom-like solid spin-defects”. As observed with trapped atomic ions, quantum interference mediated by indistinguishable photons was demonstrated between remote NV centers. In high sensitivity DC magnetometry at room temperature, NV ensembles are potentially rivaling with alkali-atom vapor cells. However, local strain induces center-to-center variation of both optical and spin transitions of NV centers. Therefore, advanced engineering of diamond growth toward crystalline perfection is demanded. Here, we report on the synthesis of high-quality HPHT (high-pressure, high-temperature) crystals, demonstrating a small inhomogeneous broadening of the spin transitions, of T 2 * = 1.28 μs, approaching the limit for crystals with natural 13 C abundance, that we determine as T 2 * = 1.48 μs. The contribution from strain and local charges to the inhomogeneous broadening is lowered to ~17 kHz full width at half maximum for NV ensemble within a > 10 mm 3 volume. Looking at optical transitions in low nitrogen crystals, we examine the variation of zero-phonon-line optical transition frequencies at low temperatures, showing a strain contribution below 2 GHz for a large fraction of single NV centers.
The purpose of this project was to develop quantum computing hardware suitable for implementing quantum lattice-gas algorithms, with eventual application to turbulent flow simulations. A number of quantum systems were investigated, including rare-earth dopants in oxide crystals and in II-VI semiconductors. However, in the option year it was decided to concentrate exclusively on nitrogen-vacancy (NV) color centers in diamond. Surprising, it was found that NV diamond exhibited the key elements needed to develop few-qubit room-temperature solid-state quantum processing nodes. This included the ability to optically initialize and readout the NV electron spin state, fractional millisecond lifetimes for electron spins, and few-nanosecond electron spin Rabi flops. We also demonstrated the relatively long distance (few nanometer) coupling of a single NV spin to the electron spin of a single substitutional nitrogen (N). To achieve long range optical interconnections and entanglement between nodes, cryogenic cooling will likely still be required to sufficiently narrow the optical absorption lines. To this end we located diamond samples with unusually high purity, and found NV centers in these crystals that exhibited exceptionally narrowband and stable optical lines. We also demonstrated electric field tuning of the optical transition frequency as required for controlling atom-atom and atom-cavity coupling.