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

Journal of Physics Conference Series

The absolutely characterized nitrogen vacancy center-based single-photon source – measurement uncertainty of photon flux and angular emission properties

Beatrice Rodiek, Marco López, H Hofer, S. Kück

Published Feb 1, 2018• 4 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Recently, a single-photon source based on the nitrogen vacancy center in a nanodiamond with a traceable spectral photon flux was realized [1]. In this article, we report on the determination of the measurement uncertainty of the spectral photon flux (about 4 %) and discuss its different components. Furthermore, the angular distribution of the emission of an NV center in a nanodiamond located in the vicinity of a dielectric boundary is calculated based on the model of Lukosz and Kunz. The agreement between the angular distribution calculation and the first-ever measurement of the angle-dependent emission in nanodiamond NV centers is satisfactory.

DOI
10.1088/1742-6596/972/1/012008

Related papers

Characterization of the angular-dependent emission of nitrogen-vacancy centers in nanodiamond

Justus Christinck, Beatrice Rodiek, Marco López +3 more

Abstract We report on the characterization of the angular-dependent emission of single-photon emitters based on single nitrogen-vacancy (NV-) centers in nanodiamond at room temperature. A theoretical model for the calculation of the angular emission patterns of such an NV-center at a dielectric interface will be presented. For the first time, the orientation of the NV-centers in nanodiamond was determined from back focal plane images of NV-centers and by comparison of the theoretical and experimental angular emission pattern. Furthermore, the orientation of the NV-centers was also obtained from measurements of the fluorescence intensity in dependence on the polarization angle of the linearly polarized excitation laser. The results of these measurements are in good agreement. Moreover, the collection efficiency in this setup was calculated to be higher than 80% using the model of the angular emission of the NV-centers.

Applied Physics B•Sep 18, 2020•13 citations

Experimental realization of an absolute single-photon source based on a single nitrogen vacancy center in a nanodiamond

Beatrice Rodiek, Marco López, Helmuth Hofer +8 more

We report on the experimental realization of an absolute single-photon source based on a single nitrogen vacancy (NV) center in a nanodiamond at room temperature and on the calculation of its absolute spectral photon flux from experimental data. The single-photon source was calibrated with respect to its photon flux and its spectral photon rate density. The photon flux was measured with a low-noise silicon photodiode traceable to the primary standard for optical flux, taking into account the absolute spectral power distribution using a calibrated spectroradiometer. The optical radiant flux is adjustable from 55 fW, which is almost the lowest detection limit for the silicon photodiode, and 75 fW, which is the saturation power of the NV center. These fluxes correspond to total photon flux rates between 190,000 photons per second and 260,000 photons per second, respectively. The single-photon emission purity is indicated by a g((2))(0) value, which is between 0.10 and 0.23, depending on the excitation power. To our knowledge, this is the first single-photon source absolutely calibrated with respect to its absolute optical radiant flux and spectral power distribution, traceable to the corresponding national standards via an unbroken traceability chain. The prospects for its application, e.g., for the detection efficiency calibration of single-photon detectors as well as for use as a standard photon source in the low photon flux regime, are promising. (C) 2017 Optical Society of America

Optica•Jan 4, 2017•79 citations

Suitability of nanodiamond nitrogen–vacancy centers for spontaneous emission control experiments

Abbas Mohtashami, A. Femius Koenderink

Nitrogen–vacancy (NV) centers in diamond are generally recognized as highly promising as indefinitely stable highly efficient single-photon sources. We report an experimental quantification of the brightness, radiative decay rate, nonradiative decay rate and quantum efficiency of single NV centers in diamond nanocrystals. Our experiments show that the commonly observed large spread in fluorescence decay rates of NV centers in nanodiamond is inconsistent with the common explanation of large nanophotonic mode-density variations in the ultra-small high-index crystals at near-unity quantum efficiency. We report that NV centers in 25 nm nanocrystals are essentially insensitive to local density of optical states (LDOS) variations that we induce at a dielectric interface by using liquids to vary the refractive index, and propose that quantum efficiencies in such nanocrystals are widely distributed between 0 and 20%. For single NV centers in larger 100 nm nanocrystals, we show that decay rate changes can be reversibly induced by nanomechanically approaching a mirror to change the LDOS. Using this scanning mirror method, for the first time we report calibrated quantum efficiencies of NV centers, and show that different but nominally identical nanocrystals have widely distributed quantum efficiencies between 10 and 90%. Our measurements imply that nanocrystals that are to be assembled into hybrid photonic structures for cavity QED should first be individually screened to assess fluorescence properties in detail.

arXiv:1212.5172•New Journal of Physics•Apr 15, 2013•98 citations

Quantum efficiency of single NV centers in nanodiamonds

Abbas Mohtashami, Martin Frimmer, A. Femius Koenderink

Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in nanodiamond are photostable single photon emitters at room temperature and are considered to be promising candidates for integrated nanophotonics and quantum information processing. A successful implementation of NV centers in nanophotonic devices requires knowledge about the photophysical properties of each emitter such as brightness, decay rate and quantum efficiency. Recent reports show that not all NV centers in diamond nanocrystals are identical and indeed show distributions in brightness and decay rate [1,2]. Here, we report on experimental quantification of the quantum efficiency (QE) of individual nanodiamonds containing single NV centers. Additionally, we report on measurements of decay rate and brightness of single nanodiamond NV centers and discuss if/which NV centers are suitable emitters to be integrated in nanophotonic devices.

Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics Europe & European Quantum Electronics Conference (CLEO/Europe-EQEC)•May 1, 2013•3 citations

Nitrogen-vacancy color centers in nanodiamonds as reference single-photon emitters

Nikesh Patel, Benyam Dejen, Stephen A. Church +2 more

Quantitative and reproducible optical characterization of single quantum emitters is crucial for quantum photonic materials research, yet accounting for measurement conditions remains challenging due to a lack of an established reference standard. We propose nanodiamonds containing single nitrogen vacancy (NV ? ) color centers as reliable, stable, and robust reference sources of single-photon emission. We select 4 potential reference emitter candidates from a study of thousands of NV ? centers. Candidates were remeasured at a second laboratory, correlating optical pump power and NV ? center emission intensity at saturation in addition to corresponding g (2) (0) values. A reference nanodiamond is demonstrated to account for experimental conditions, with reproducible and reliable single-photon emission, as a model for a new, to our knowledge, single-photon emitter reference standard.

arXiv:2411.15991•Optics Express•May 20, 2025•6 citations

Emission and Nonradiative Decay of Nanodiamond NV Centers in a Low Refractive Index Environment

Faraz Ahmed Inam, Michael D. W. Grogan, Mathew Rollings +8 more

The nitrogen vacancy (NV) center is the most widely studied single optical defect in diamond with great potential for applications in quantum technologies. Development of practical single-photon devices requires an understanding of the emission under a range of conditions and environments. In this work, we study the properties of a single NV center in nanodiamonds embedded in an air-like silica aerogel environment which provides a new domain for probing the emission behavior of NV centers in nanoscale environments. In this arrangement, the emission rate is governed primarily by the diamond crystal lattice with negligible contribution from the surrounding environment. This is in contrast to the conventional approach of studying nanodiamonds on a glass coverslip. We observe an increase in the mean lifetime due to the absence of a dielectric interface near the emitting dipoles and a distribution arising from the irregularities in the nanodiamond geometry. Our approach results in the estimation of the mean quantum efficiency (~0.7) of the nanodiamond NV emitters.

ACS Nano•Apr 15, 2013•89 citations
Recently, a single-photon source based on the nitrogen vacancy center in a nanodiamond with a traceable spectral photon flux was realized [1]. In this article, we report on the determination of the measurement uncertainty of the spectral photon flux (about 4 %) and discuss its different components. Furthermore, the angular distribution of the emission of an NV center in a nanodiamond located in the vicinity of a dielectric boundary is calculated based on the model of Lukosz and Kunz. The agreement between the angular distribution calculation and the first-ever measurement of the angle-dependent emission in nanodiamond NV centers is satisfactory.
Abstract We report on the characterization of the angular-dependent emission of single-photon emitters based on single nitrogen-vacancy (NV-) centers in nanodiamond at room temperature. A theoretical model for the calculation of the angular emission patterns of such an NV-center at a dielectric interface will be presented. For the first time, the orientation of the NV-centers in nanodiamond was determined from back focal plane images of NV-centers and by comparison of the theoretical and experimental angular emission pattern. Furthermore, the orientation of the NV-centers was also obtained from measurements of the fluorescence intensity in dependence on the polarization angle of the linearly polarized excitation laser. The results of these measurements are in good agreement. Moreover, the collection efficiency in this setup was calculated to be higher than 80% using the model of the angular emission of the NV-centers.
We report on the experimental realization of an absolute single-photon source based on a single nitrogen vacancy (NV) center in a nanodiamond at room temperature and on the calculation of its absolute spectral photon flux from experimental data. The single-photon source was calibrated with respect to its photon flux and its spectral photon rate density. The photon flux was measured with a low-noise silicon photodiode traceable to the primary standard for optical flux, taking into account the absolute spectral power distribution using a calibrated spectroradiometer. The optical radiant flux is adjustable from 55 fW, which is almost the lowest detection limit for the silicon photodiode, and 75 fW, which is the saturation power of the NV center. These fluxes correspond to total photon flux rates between 190,000 photons per second and 260,000 photons per second, respectively. The single-photon emission purity is indicated by a g((2))(0) value, which is between 0.10 and 0.23, depending on the excitation power. To our knowledge, this is the first single-photon source absolutely calibrated with respect to its absolute optical radiant flux and spectral power distribution, traceable to the corresponding national standards via an unbroken traceability chain. The prospects for its application, e.g., for the detection efficiency calibration of single-photon detectors as well as for use as a standard photon source in the low photon flux regime, are promising. (C) 2017 Optical Society of America
Nitrogen–vacancy (NV) centers in diamond are generally recognized as highly promising as indefinitely stable highly efficient single-photon sources. We report an experimental quantification of the brightness, radiative decay rate, nonradiative decay rate and quantum efficiency of single NV centers in diamond nanocrystals. Our experiments show that the commonly observed large spread in fluorescence decay rates of NV centers in nanodiamond is inconsistent with the common explanation of large nanophotonic mode-density variations in the ultra-small high-index crystals at near-unity quantum efficiency. We report that NV centers in 25 nm nanocrystals are essentially insensitive to local density of optical states (LDOS) variations that we induce at a dielectric interface by using liquids to vary the refractive index, and propose that quantum efficiencies in such nanocrystals are widely distributed between 0 and 20%. For single NV centers in larger 100 nm nanocrystals, we show that decay rate changes can be reversibly induced by nanomechanically approaching a mirror to change the LDOS. Using this scanning mirror method, for the first time we report calibrated quantum efficiencies of NV centers, and show that different but nominally identical nanocrystals have widely distributed quantum efficiencies between 10 and 90%. Our measurements imply that nanocrystals that are to be assembled into hybrid photonic structures for cavity QED should first be individually screened to assess fluorescence properties in detail.
Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in nanodiamond are photostable single photon emitters at room temperature and are considered to be promising candidates for integrated nanophotonics and quantum information processing. A successful implementation of NV centers in nanophotonic devices requires knowledge about the photophysical properties of each emitter such as brightness, decay rate and quantum efficiency. Recent reports show that not all NV centers in diamond nanocrystals are identical and indeed show distributions in brightness and decay rate [1,2]. Here, we report on experimental quantification of the quantum efficiency (QE) of individual nanodiamonds containing single NV centers. Additionally, we report on measurements of decay rate and brightness of single nanodiamond NV centers and discuss if/which NV centers are suitable emitters to be integrated in nanophotonic devices.
Quantitative and reproducible optical characterization of single quantum emitters is crucial for quantum photonic materials research, yet accounting for measurement conditions remains challenging due to a lack of an established reference standard. We propose nanodiamonds containing single nitrogen vacancy (NV ? ) color centers as reliable, stable, and robust reference sources of single-photon emission. We select 4 potential reference emitter candidates from a study of thousands of NV ? centers. Candidates were remeasured at a second laboratory, correlating optical pump power and NV ? center emission intensity at saturation in addition to corresponding g (2) (0) values. A reference nanodiamond is demonstrated to account for experimental conditions, with reproducible and reliable single-photon emission, as a model for a new, to our knowledge, single-photon emitter reference standard.
The nitrogen vacancy (NV) center is the most widely studied single optical defect in diamond with great potential for applications in quantum technologies. Development of practical single-photon devices requires an understanding of the emission under a range of conditions and environments. In this work, we study the properties of a single NV center in nanodiamonds embedded in an air-like silica aerogel environment which provides a new domain for probing the emission behavior of NV centers in nanoscale environments. In this arrangement, the emission rate is governed primarily by the diamond crystal lattice with negligible contribution from the surrounding environment. This is in contrast to the conventional approach of studying nanodiamonds on a glass coverslip. We observe an increase in the mean lifetime due to the absence of a dielectric interface near the emitting dipoles and a distribution arising from the irregularities in the nanodiamond geometry. Our approach results in the estimation of the mean quantum efficiency (~0.7) of the nanodiamond NV emitters.