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Cavity enhancement of a Nitrogen-Vacancy-based single photon source

Chun‐Hsu Su, Andrew D. Greentree, Lloyd C. L. Hollenberg

Published Feb 1, 2008• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The optically active Nitrogen-Vacancy (NV) defect in diamond holds substantial promise as a potential single photon source for quantum cryptography. Here we report enhanced spectral properties of an NV centre through a high-quality single-moded cavity coupled to an optical fibre. We use the secure bit rate of the BB84 quantum key distribution protocol as our figure of merit to demonstrate the significant improvements from employing state of the art cavities.

DOI
10.1109/iconn.2008.4639274

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Quantum Computing, Communication, and Simulation•Mar 14, 2018•0 citations
The optically active Nitrogen-Vacancy (NV) defect in diamond holds substantial promise as a potential single photon source for quantum cryptography. Here we report enhanced spectral properties of an NV centre through a high-quality single-moded cavity coupled to an optical fibre. We use the secure bit rate of the BB84 quantum key distribution protocol as our figure of merit to demonstrate the significant improvements from employing state of the art cavities.
The nitrogen-vacancy defect in diamond (NV centre) is a leading candidate for solid-state implementations of quantum information technologies. Among other useful properties, it is a bright source of single photons. It is difficult, though, to collect the emitted photons in a single spatial and spectral mode which is often needed for quantum information applications. One way to improve the single-mode collection efficiency is to embed an NV centre in a high-finesse cavity. The coupling of the NV centre dipole to the cavity mode gives rise to the Purcell enhancement -- an increase of the emission into the cavity's spectral and spatial mode. The goal of this project will be to develop a fibre-based microcavity and to use it for the observation of enhanced single-photon emission from a diamond nanocrystal. It will involve a wide range of experimental techniques, for example basic optics (particularly Gaussian beam propagation), CO2 laser ablation, surface analysis by optical and atomic force microscopes, interferometry, photon counting, etc. There will also be a certain amount of data analysis, simulations and theoretical calculations.
Quantum communication places stringent requirements on single-photon sources. Here we report a theoretical study of the cavity Purcell enhancement of two diamond point defects, the nickel-nitrogen (NE8) and silicon-vacancy (SiV) centers, for high-performance, near on-demand single-photon generation. By coupling the centers strongly to high-finesse optical photonic-band-gap cavities with modest quality factor Q=O(104)Q=O({10}^{4})Q=O(104) and small mode volume $V=O({\ensuremath{\lambda}}^{3})$, these system can deliver picosecond single-photon pulses at their zero-phonon lines with probabilities of 0.954 (NE8) and 0.812 (SiV) under a realistic optical excitation scheme. The undesirable blinking effect due to transitions via metastable states can also be suppressed with $O({10}^{\ensuremath{-}4})$ blinking probability. We analyze the application of these enhanced centers, including the previously studied cavity-enhanced nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center, to long-distance Bennett-Brassard 1984 protocol quantum key distribution (QKD) in fiber-based, open-air terrestrial and satellite-ground setups. In this comparative study, we show that they can deliver performance comparable with decoy state implementation with weak coherent sources, and are most suitable for open-air communication.
Single negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy (NV-) defect centres in diamond are attractive systems for the implementation of solid state quantum information processing (QIP) and quantum key distribution (QKD). In both approaches, the coupling of an individual NV-centre to a resonant microcavity is of interest: it would improve the optical readout of the NV-centre electron spin state in QIP and enhance the collection efficiency of the single photon fluorescence in QKD while increasing the coherence length of the emission. We theoretically demonstrate that, at room temperature, the coupling to a single-mode Fabry-Perot microcavity can be used to obtain a fluorescence spectrum narrowing without loss of total intensity. We also experimentally demonstrate the control of the fluorescence spectrum of a single NV-centre by adjusting the thickness of the microcavity. Finally, we report a doubling of the emission spectral density with respect to the single mirror configuration.
The development of reliable devices to generate single photons is crucial for applications in quantum cryptography, as well as for fundamental quantum optics experiments. Due to their extremely high photostability at room temperature, optically active defects in solids, the so called color centers, are among the most promising candidates. Single NV (nitrogen-vacancy) centers in diamond have been demonstrated to be able to generate single photons and have already shown advantages compared to attenuated laser pulses in a quantum cryptography experiment. The nitrogen-vacancy center (NV center) in diamond consists of a substitutional nitrogen atom and an adjacent vacancy. This complex exhibits an optical transition with a fluorescence lifetime of 11.6 ns. The room temperature spectrum of the NV center consists of the zero-phonon line at 637 nm and broad phononic sidebands with a FWHM of more than 100 nm. Due to the existence of a shelving level the efficiency of the NV center as a single photon source is limited. Additionally, the high diffraction index of bulk diamond restricts the efficiency to collect the fluorescence light.
Room temperature solid-state emitters provide a promising source of single photons for use in quantum technologies. The emitters studied in this thesis are the nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centre in diamond, and defects in two-dimensional hexagonal boron nitride (hBN). In this thesis, I present investigations into the coupling of these defects to open-access microcavities at room temperature. The optical microcavity serves to confine the electric field down to mode volumes on the order of λ3, increasing the spontaneous emission rate of these emitters and channelling this emission into well defined cavity modes. The general properties of both emitters will be presented, including examples of single photon emission, emission spectra, saturation behaviour and photo-stability. A few examples highlighting the long-term photo-stability of the NV centre under pulsed excitation will be displayed. This will highlight the suitability of the NV centre for a practical device. Following the preparation and characterisation of each emitter, single photon emission into the cavity modes is verified, reaching single photon purities greater than 97%. Enhancements in the spectral density of photons were observed for both the NV centre (~25×) and defect in hBN (~3×), along with decreases in the excited state lifetimes. While the NV centre provides a stable source of single photons, the cavity enhancement is limited by its broad emission spectrum. Defects in hBN present near-ideal optical properties in the absence of the cavity, and were expected to deliver superior results within the cavity. However, the poor photo-stability of these defects did not allow complete characterisation of the cavity coupled emission. FDTD simulations were combined with changes in the excited state lifetime to infer the quantum efficiency of these defects. The results of this thesis form the foundation for the realisation of a robust room temperature single photon source.
Single photons are the key ingredient for many photonic quantum technologies including quantum key distribution and measurement-based quantum computing. However, it remains difficult to create devices with the appropriate specifications for use in non-laboratory environments. The optical microcavity platform provides an attractive route towards a room temperature single photon source device. Our ultra-small focused ion beam (FIB) milled open-access cavities offer enhancement of the spontaneous emission rate, tunability of the emission spectrum and increased light collection. The embedment of solid-state emitters within these cavities enables us to create a robust room temperature single photon source device, with the potential for high efficiencies and single photon purities. Defects such as the nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centre in diamond have been shown to be stable room-temperature sources of single photons. There are new single emitters emerging in two-dimensional materials such as hexagonal boron nitride (hBN). Here we present developments in room-temperature coupling of single defects to open-access microcavities of a planar-hemispherical geometry with mode volumes down to λ3. We report enhancements in the spectral density of photons into a single cavity mode, combined with improved single photon purities. It will be shown that the NV-cavity system provides a ~3% single photon emission efficiency with purities of up to 94%. The hBN-cavity system provides count rates >1Mcts/s into a single cavity mode with purities up to 96%. With these high single photon purities, such devices would be robust against photon number splitting attacks making them attractive for applications in quantum cryptography.