\n\nDiamond defect spins have emerged as potential qudits (d-dimensional quantum bit) in quantum information and quantum computing. A new scheme is proposed for realizing entangled states of GHZ (Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger) class in a 3-qudit solid-state register. The qudits are the electron spin-1 carried by the negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy color center (NV−1) in diamond and the nuclear spin-$\\frac{1}{2}$ of two carbon-13 impurities in the first neighbour shell. Multipartite entanglements between qudits are obtained by bringing the spin system in the vicinity of a level anticrossing. The degree of entanglement between all three qudits is quantified rigorously. GHZ and GHZ-like entangled states have applications in quantum communication and computation protocols.\n
\n\nDiamond defect spins have emerged as potential qudits (d-dimensional quantum bit) in quantum information and quantum computing. A new scheme is proposed for realizing entangled states of GHZ (Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger) class in a 3-qudit solid-state register. The qudits are the electron spin-1 carried by the negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy color center (NV−1) in diamond and the nuclear spin-frac12 of two carbon-13 impurities in the first neighbour shell. Multipartite entanglements between qudits are obtained by bringing the spin system in the vicinity of a level anticrossing. The degree of entanglement between all three qudits is quantified rigorously. GHZ and GHZ-like entangled states have applications in quantum communication and computation protocols.\n
The spin-1 carried by the nitrogen-vacancy (NV${}^{\ensuremath{-}}$) color center of a diamond is a promising candidate as a quantum bit (qubit) for the realization of a solid-state quantum computer. The interaction with the P1 center, which is a single substitutional nitrogen atom with spin-21, converts the NV${}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ qubit to a multilevel system. The 18-level energy diagram of the NV${}^{\ensuremath{-}}$-P1 coupled defect pair exhibits several level anticrossings and the spin functions change sign at different values of the applied magnetic field. Beyond each resonance, the two electronic spins of the coupled triplet-doublet system flip individually or in concert, offering possibilities to implement quantum logic gates. Interlevel transitions are also possible. The transition probabilities can be predicted rigorously in the framework of the Landau-Zener theory. The spin flip occurs by quantum tunneling. It is also possible to introduce geometric phases, which can be useful for the realization of phase gates.
The complex environment of solid-state quantum bits is generally believed to pose a difficult challenge for solid state realizations of quantum information science. Close study of single electronic spins associated with the nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in diamond has shown how a complex environment -- in this case a spin-bath formed by carbon-13 isotopic impurities -- may be understood and even controlled. Specifically, we show that optical and microwave excitation of the NV center can be used to perform robust initialization, manipulation, and measurement of the two-qubit register formed by the electronic spin and its nearest-neighbor carbon-13 nuclear spin. These few-qubit registers may be used as a basis for scalable quantum information systems provided that one can identify a means to connect different registers. For an optically active system such as the NV center, photons provide a natural medium for inter- register communication, and we discuss initial experiments studying the possibility of quantum optical interconnects. Such an optically-connected few-qubit register offers a flexible hardware for both quantum computation and long-distance quantum communication; in particular, it may allow realization of a solid-state quantum repeater.
In this thesis we experimentally investigate quantum nonlocality: entangled states of spatially separated objects. Entanglement is one of the most striking consequences of the quantum formalism developed in the 1920's; the predicted outcomes of independent measurements on entangled objects reveal strong correlations that cannot be explained by classical physics. Early on, such predictions led physicists to doubt the validity and completeness of quantum theory. At the same time, entanglement is a key resource for applications in quantum information processing and a pre-requisite for many tasks in quantum communication and computation. This thesis attempts to answer two application driven questions: Firstly, can we generate useful entangled states of solid state spins for applications in quantum information processing? Secondly, can we use such entangled states as a resource to teleport an unknown quantum state? Finally, we ask a foundational question: Are our entangled states indeed inconsistent with the classical notions of free choice, locality and realism? Can we prove this experimentally, under the minimal assumptions of a loophole-free Bell test? To answer these questions we use single spins in ultra-pure diamonds. In particular, we use the electronic and nuclear spins associated with single nitrogen-vacancy (NV) defects. The NV centre is a point defect in diamond, consisting of a substitutional nitrogen (N) atom and a neighbouring missing carbon atom (vacancy, V). The NV centre possesses bound electronic states, whose energy levels lie well within the bandgap of the diamond host and whose spin degree of freedom can be used as a quantum bit (qubit). Because of the large diamond bandgap and the 99% spin free carbon-12 environment, the electronic spin qubit has exceptional coherence properties even at room temperature. Optical and microwave fields allow control of the electronic spin, which in turn allows control of nearby nuclear spins (the host nitrogen nuclear spin, and nearby carbon-13 spins). At liquid helium temperatures, spin-preserving optical transitions provide a powerful optical interface to the electronic spin, allowing, for example, projective readout of the spin state. By employing a protocol where entanglement is heralded by the detection of a single photon from each of two NV centres in diamonds separated by three metres, we find we can answer the first question in the affirmative. We show for the first time heralded entanglement between solid state quantum systems separated by a human-scale distance. Then, by combining the heralded entanglement with a deterministic local Bell state measurement and fast feed-forward, we show for the first time unconditional quantum teleportation over human-scale distances. We teleport an unknown quantum state from a nuclear spin in one diamond to an electronic spin in a diamond three meters away. Finally, by employing techniques from the previous experiments, we implement the first loophole-free Bell test. We separate two diamonds by 1.3 kilometres and optimize all operational fidelities, collection efficiencies and rates. This allows us to generate heralded entanglement between them approximately once an hour. The distance provides us with time to read out the electronic spin state in each diamond, faster than any lightlike signal could travel between them. The high-fidelity entangled state preparation and spin readout are sufficient to violate the Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt Bell-inequality. Combined with fast random number generators and a robust statistical analysis, we find a significant rejection of the local-realist hypothesis, without requiring additional experimental assumptions. The results in this thesis open the door to various applications in quantum information processing. In particular, a remote photonic entangling operation may enable future quantum networks. In such a network the nodes would be formed by the NV centre's combined electronic and nuclear spin register. The nodes would be linked by photonic entanglement operations. Such a network could be used for long distance secure communication, provide a connection between separated quantum computers, or form the basis of a fault tolerant quantum computer by itself. Furthermore, a loophole-free Bell test demonstrates the possibility to do device independent randomness generation and key distribution, that could form the basis for future secure communication channels.
Single defect centers in diamond have emerged as a powerful platform for quantum optics experiments and quantum information processing tasks. Connecting spatially separated nodes via optical photons into a quantum network will enable distributed quantum computing and long-range quantum communication. Initial experiments on trapped atoms and ions as well as defects in diamond have demonstrated entanglement between two nodes over several meters. To realize multi-node networks, additional quantum bit systems that store quantum states while new entanglement links are established are highly desirable. Such memories allow for entanglement distillation, purification and quantum repeater protocols that extend the size, speed and distance of the network. However, to be effective, the memory must be robust against the entanglement generation protocol, which typically must be repeated many times. Here we evaluate the prospects of using carbon nuclear spins in diamond as quantum memories that are compatible with quantum networks based on single nitrogen vacancy (NV) defects in diamond. We present a theoretical framework to describe the dephasing of the nuclear spins under repeated generation of NV spin-photon entanglement and show that quantum states can be stored during hundreds of repetitions using typical experimental coupling parameters. This result demonstrates that nuclear spins with weak hyperfine couplings are promising quantum memories for quantum networks.
We present a scheme to generate entangled photons using nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers in diamond. We show how the long-lived nuclear spin in diamond can mediate entanglement between multiple photons, thereby increasing the length of the entangled photon string. With the proposed scheme one could generate both n-photon Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger and cluster states. We present an experimental scheme realizing the same and estimate the rate of entanglement generation both in the presence and absence of a cavity.
Impurity spins in semiconductors are potential quantum bits. Entanglement and topological phases are key resources in quantum computation. We prove that the coupled electron spins carried by a diamond nitrogen-vacancy color center (NV${}^{\ensuremath{-}}$) and a single substitutional nitrogen impurity (P1 center) are entangled in the immediate vicinity of the level anticrossing that appears in the Zeeman energy diagram at about 500 G. We also determine the Aharonov-Anandan, Berry, and marginal geometric phases that can be accumulated by the state vectors of this spin system when it is magnetically transported around a closed path. At the resonance where the gap between two energy levels is minimum, the geometric phases undergo discontinuities, and the entanglement of the two electron spins is maximal.