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Physical review. B./Physical review. B

Enigmatic color centers in microdiamonds with bright, stable, and narrow-band fluorescence

Arthur Yu. Neliubov, Ivan Yu. Eremchev, Vladimir P. Drachev, S. S. Kosolobov, Евгений Алексеевич Екимов, Artem I. Arzhanov, Aleksandr O. Tarasevich, А. В. Наумов

Published Feb 28, 2023• 7 citations

Abstract

Microdiamonds with color centers have unique photophysical properties. We discover extremely narrow spectral lines with full width at half maximum down to 0.5 nm (\ensuremath{\approx}390 GHz at wavelength 630.15 nm) at room temperature in photoluminescence of numerous high-pressure--high-temperature microdiamonds. Correlation spectroscopy proves that these lines originate from single photon emitters. Comprehensive experimental characterization of the emitters is performed by means of complementary scanning electron and fluorescence microscopy that allows morphological characterization and in time monitoring of the same labeled emitters. Study of photoluminescence and photoluminescence excitation spectra of single emitters showed negligible phonon sideband and narrowband excitation. Temperature sensitivity, stable photoluminescence, brightness, linear polarization, and fluorescence lifetime \ensuremath{\approx}1.5--2.5 ns are demonstrated. The results show great potential of the discovered ``enigmatic'' emitters for applications in quantum optics, fluorescence labeling, and high-resolution thermometry.

DOI: 10.1103/physrevb.107.l081406

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Microdiamonds with color centers have unique photophysical properties. We discover extremely narrow spectral lines with full width at half maximum down to 0.5 nm (\ensuremath{\approx}390 GHz at wavelength 630.15 nm) at room temperature in photoluminescence of numerous high-pressure--high-temperature microdiamonds. Correlation spectroscopy proves that these lines originate from single photon emitters. Comprehensive experimental characterization of the emitters is performed by means of complementary scanning electron and fluorescence microscopy that allows morphological characterization and in time monitoring of the same labeled emitters. Study of photoluminescence and photoluminescence excitation spectra of single emitters showed negligible phonon sideband and narrowband excitation. Temperature sensitivity, stable photoluminescence, brightness, linear polarization, and fluorescence lifetime \ensuremath{\approx}1.5--2.5 ns are demonstrated. The results show great potential of the discovered ``enigmatic'' emitters for applications in quantum optics, fluorescence labeling, and high-resolution thermometry.

LX centers are a recently discovered class of impurity centers in diamonds, which are characterized by nearly phononfree, spectral narrowband, and intense fluorescence at room temperature. Such a set of properties pave the way for a variety of applications, including sensing and single-photon emission. The latter requires a detailed study of photophysical processes of single emitters, which is the focus of this paper. The study of the luminescence dynamics of single LX centers in microdiamonds, synthesized by the high pressure-high temperature method, is performed by means of second-order cross-correlation function (

{g}^{(2)}

) analysis. Even though the blinking is not observed directly in the measurements, the presence of photon bunching indicates that the fluorescence of a single emitter is intermittent at microsecond scale. The three-level system that is commonly used to describe intermittency of dye molecules is not consistent with the observed power dependences. We suggest a four-level energy system model with two metastable states to describe the results and perform numerical simulations to validate the model. Finally, we discuss the four-level model in the form of fluctuations of photophysical parameters.

We present a detailed study of photophysical properties of single color centers in natural diamond samples emitting in the near infrared under optical excitation. Photoluminescence of these single emitters has several striking features, including narrow-band (FWHM 2 nm) fully polarized emission around 780 nm, a short excited-state lifetime of about 2 ns, and perfect photostability at room temperature under our excitation conditions. Development of a triggered single-photon source relying on this single color center is discussed for application to quantum key distribution.

Abstract This study presents a detailed investigation into the fluorescence properties of color centers in single-crystal diamond needles (SCDNs) synthesized via chemical vapor deposition. Using steady-state and time-resolved photoluminescence (PL) techniques, we identified color centers with zero-phonon lines at 389 nm, 468 nm, 575 nm (NV0), 637 nm (NV–), and 738 nm (SiV–). PL excitation spectroscopy conducted at room temperature revealed the complex electronic structure of some of these centers, paving the way for further investigation into their fluorescence properties. Lifetime measurements were performed for each center, with the 389 nm one exhibiting the longest decay time (∼30 ns), which is advantageous for enhancing quantum coherence, improving photon emission efficiency, and reducing power consumption. Altogether, these findings highlight the potential of SCDNs for quantum applications and confirm their promise as a platform for next-generation photonic and quantum devices.

Single-photon emitters with narrow linewidths are highly sought after for applications in quantum information processing and quantum communications. In this letter, we report on a bright, highly polarized near infrared single photon emitter embedded in diamond nanocrystals with a narrow, sub-GHz optical linewidth at 10 K. The observed zero-phonon line at ∼780 nm is optically stable under low power excitation and blue shifts as the excitation power increases. Our results highlight the prospect for using new near infrared color centers in nanodiamonds for quantum applications.

Single photon emitters with narrow linewidths are highly sought after for applications in quantum information processing and quantum communications. In this letter, we report on a bright, highly polarized near infrared single photon emitter embedded in diamond nanocrystals with a narrow, sub GHz optical linewidths at 10K. The observed zero phonon line at ~ 780 nm is optically stable under low power resonant excitation and blue shifts as the excitation power increases. Our results highlight the prospect for using new near infrared color centers in nanodiamonds for quantum applications.

Abstract We report on the systematic characterization of the optical properties of diamond color centers based on Pb impurities. An ensemble photoluminescence analysis of their spectral emission was performed at different excitation wavelengths in the 405–520 nm range and at different temperatures in the 4–300 K range. The series of observed spectral features consist of different emission lines associated with Pb-related defects. Finally, a room-temperature investigation of single-photon emitters under 490.5 nm laser excitation is reported, revealing different spectral signatures with respect to those already reported under 514 nm excitation. This work represents a substantial progress with respect to previous studies on Pb-related color centers, both in the attribution of an articulated series of spectral features and in the understanding of the formation process of this type of defect, thus clarifying the potential of this system for high-impact applications in quantum technologies.