Understanding the spin relaxation in superconducting quantum circuit and solid-state spin hybrid systems is of great importance especially for quantum storage purposes. We have studied the longitudinal relaxation for electron spins of substitutional nitrogen (P1) centers in a hybrid quantum device containing a diamond and a superconducting coplanar waveguide resonator. From a series of pump-probe experiments we conclude that the dominated spin relaxation mechanism is a cross-relaxation process induced by a four-spin interaction (four-spin cross relaxation) among different hyperfine split spin transitions. Some features of the four-spin process are discussed based on a set of rate equations. This work provides interesting perspectives in understanding the coherence properties of the hyperfine split spin ensembles in a hybrid quantum system.
Understanding the spin relaxation in superconducting quantum circuit and solid-state spin hybrid systems is of great importance especially for quantum storage purposes. We have studied the longitudinal relaxation for electron spins of substitutional nitrogen (P1) centers in a hybrid quantum device containing a diamond and a superconducting coplanar waveguide resonator. From a series of pump-probe experiments we conclude that the dominated spin relaxation mechanism is a cross-relaxation process induced by a four-spin interaction (four-spin cross relaxation) among different hyperfine split spin transitions. Some features of the four-spin process are discussed based on a set of rate equations. This work provides interesting perspectives in understanding the coherence properties of the hyperfine split spin ensembles in a hybrid quantum system.
We demonstrate strong coupling in a solid-state hybrid quantum system comprising a fixed-frequency coplanar-waveguide resonator, a superconducting transmon qubit, and an ensemble of nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond. Frequency-domain spectroscopy reveals a characteristic three-mode avoided crossing, consistent with excitations being distributed across all three subsystems through hybridized eigenmodes. At higher probe powers, we observe nonlinear features and signatures of transmon- N 14 nuclear-spin interactions, highlighting the accessibility of higher-excitation manifolds in this architecture. These results establish an experimentally accessible regime of hybrid cavity QED that integrates superconducting and spin degrees of freedom, providing a platform for exploring complex multicomponent dynamics and developing hybrid quantum interfaces.
We present an experimental study of the longitudinal electron-spin relaxation of ensembles of negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy (NV−) centers in diamond. The measurements were performed with samples having different NV− concentrations and at different temperatures and magnetic fields. We found that the relaxation rate T1−1 increases when transition frequencies in NV− centers with different orientations become degenerate and interpret this as cross-relaxation caused by dipole-dipole interaction.
Quantum entanglement is a kernel of quantum computation and quantum communication. We introduce a theoretical scheme to achieve the entanglement between two separated quantum nodes in a hybrid system. The proposed hybrid system based on diamond nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center spin ensemble is coherently coupled to a superconducting quantum circuit consisting of two quantum nodes and a quantum channel. Each node in our setup is composed of an NV center spin ensemble magnetically coupled to a superconducting coplanar resonator. The NV center spin ensemble composed of N identical and non-interacting NV spins, is placed in the magnetic field antinode of the superconducting coplanar resonator where the coupling is maximized. An array of superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) is inserted in the central conductor of resonator to make its frequency tunable with the magnetic flux threading through the SQUID loops. This flux is generated by passing current through an on-chip wire, so that the resonator can be brought in resonance with the NV center spins without changing their Zeeman splitting. Quantum qubits encoded into two separate nodes are connected by a vacuum superconducting coplanar resonator that is used as a quantum channel. This setup can potentially take the best elements of each individual system:NV center spin ensemble with longer coherence time capable of preparing, storing and releasing photonic quantum information, and the superconducting quantum circuits are easy to manipulate externally and can perform quantum logic gates to control quantum information rapidly. In order to realize the entanglement between two separated quantum nodes, firstly, we make a canonical transformation and obtain the Hamiltonian of the system that is reduced to two NV center spin ensembles resonantly coupled to a single mode of the superconducting coplanar resonator. Then we put forward the hybrid NV center spin-photon qubit encoding. In this hybrid encoding, the NV center spin and photon degrees of freedom enter on an equal footing into the definition of the qubit, in which case, quantum channel will switch on when three superconducting coplanar resonators are in resonance with each other, and all the manipulations can perform simply by tuning the frequencies of the superconducting coplanar resonators. Under the precise control of the evolution time, high fidelity entanglement between two separated quantum nodes is achieved. We show that this proposal can provide high fidelity quantum entanglement under realistic conditions, both in the resonant and the dispersive interaction cases. This hybrid quantum system will exhibit long coherence time and possess features like easy fabrication, integratability, and potential scalability. Furthermore, the quantum node composed of an NV center spin ensemble magnetically coupled to a superconducting coplanar resonator can be respectively integrated, which has practical applications in the realization of quantum information transmission and quantum entanglement among multiple quantum nodes.
We demonstrate genuine tripartite strong coupling in a solid-state hybrid quantum system comprising a superconducting transmon qubit, a fixed-frequency coplanar-waveguide resonator, and an ensemble of NV− centers in diamond. Frequency-domain spectroscopy reveals a characteristic three-mode avoided crossing, indicating that single excitations are coherently shared across all three subsystems. At higher probe powers, we observe nonlinear features including multiphoton transitions and signatures of transmon-14N nuclear-spin interactions, highlighting the accessibility of higher-excitation manifolds in this architecture. These results establish a new regime of hybrid cavity QED that integrates superconducting and spin degrees of freedom, providing a platform for exploring complex multicomponent dynamics and developing hybrid quantum interfaces.
Exploration of macroscopic quantum entanglement is of great interest in both fundamental science and practical application. We investigate a hybrid quantum system that consists of two nitrogen-vacancy centers ensembles (NVE) coupled to a superconducting coplanar waveguide resonator (CPWR). The collective magnetic coupling between the NVE and the CPWR is employed to generate macroscopic entanglement between the NVEs, where the CPWR acts as the quantum bus. We find that, this NVE-CPWR hybrid system behaves as a system of three coupled harmonic oscillators, and the excitation prepared initially in the CPWR can be distributed into these two NVEs. In the nondissipative case, the entanglement of NVEs oscillates periodically and the maximal entanglement always keeps unity if the CPWR is initially prepared in the odd coherent state. Considering the dissipative effect from the CPWR and NVEs, the amount of entanglement between these two NVEs strongly depends on the initial state of the CPWR, and the maximal entanglement can be tuned by adjusting the initial states of the total system. The experimental feasibility and challenge with currently available technology are discussed.
Hybrid quantum systems with high-Tc superconducting resonators
Superconducting microwave resonators are crucial elements of microwave circuits, offering a wide range of potential applications in modern science and technology. While conventional low-T[Formula: see text] superconductors are mainly employed, high-T[Formula: see text] cuprates could offer enhanced temperature and magnetic field operating ranges. Here, we report the realization of [Formula: see text] superconducting coplanar waveguide resonators, and demonstrate a continuous evolution from a lossy undercoupled regime, to a lossless overcoupled regime by adjusting the device geometry, in good agreement with circuit model theory. A high-quality factor resonator was then used to perform electron spin resonance measurements on a molecular spin ensemble across a temperature range spanning two decades. We observe spin-cavity hybridization indicating coherent coupling between the microwave field and the spins in a highly cooperative regime. The temperature dependence of the Rabi splitting and the spin relaxation time point toward an antiferromagnetic coupling of the spins below 2 K. Our findings indicate that high-Tc superconducting resonators hold great promise for the development of functional circuits. Additionally, they suggest novel approaches for achieving hybrid quantum systems based on high-T[Formula: see text] superconductors and for conducting electron spin resonance measurements over a wide range of magnetic fields and temperatures.