Verified Nanoscale Engineering of Localized Diamond Nitrogen-Vacancy Centers

The solid spin of ensembles of the nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers in diamond offers unique features to be employed as atomic-scale sensors for detection of weak magnetic field. Here, we mainly demonstrate two types of DC magnetometer based on ensembles of the nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers in diamond with the method of analyzing optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) spectra and microwave frequency modulation technology, respectively and experimentally. Firstly, we demonstrate ODMR spectra and resonance frequency of ODMR with the various external magnetic field magnitudes applied to the NV centers in diamond. The minimum detectable magnetic field of the magnetometer is 0.0498 Gauss, and a magnetic sensitivity of 5.22 μT/Hz obtained with the analysis of ODMR spectra. Further, we utilize microwave frequency modulation technology and analyze the power spectra of noise of demodulated signal of the Lock in Amplifier. The sensitivity of the magnetometer can reach as low as 14.3 nT/Hz with microwave frequency modulation. This study lays a foundation for the advancement of magnetic detection research with higher sensitivity based on ensembles of NV centers.

The application of magnetic resonance spectroscopy at progressively smaller length scales may eventually permit 'chemical imaging' of spins at the surfaces of materials and biological complexes. In particular, the negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy (NV(-)) centre in diamond has been exploited as an optical transducer for nanoscale nuclear magnetic resonance. However, the spectra of detected spins are generally broadened by their interaction with proximate paramagnetic NV(-) centres through coherent and incoherent mechanisms. Here we demonstrate a detection technique that can resolve the spectra of electron spins coupled to NV(-) centres, in this case, substitutional nitrogen and neutral nitrogen-vacancy centres in diamond, through optically detected cross-relaxation. The hyperfine spectra of these spins are a unique chemical identifier, suggesting the possibility, in combination with recent results in diamonds harbouring shallow NV(-) implants, that the spectra of spins external to the diamond can be similarly detected.

It is desirable to implement an efficient quantum information process demanding fewer quantum resources. We designed two compact quantum circuits for determinately implementing four-qubit Toffoli and Fredkin gates on single-photon systems in both the polarization and spatial degrees of freedom (DoFs) via diamond nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in resonators. The gates are heralded by the electron spins associated with the diamond NV centers. In contrast to the ones with one DoF, our implementations reduce the quantum resource and are robust against the decoherence. Evaluations of fidelities and efficiencies of our gates show that our schemes may be implemented with current technology.

We present a density-functional theory analysis of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond, which are located in the vicinity of extended defects, namely, intrinsic stacking faults, extrinsic stacking faults, and coherent twin boundaries on {111} planes in diamond crystals. Several sites for NV centers close to the extended defects are energetically preferred with respect to the bulk crystal. This indicates that NV centers may be enriched at extended defects. We report the hyperfine structure and zero-field splitting parameters of the NV centers at the extended defects, which typically deviate by about 10% but in some cases up to 90% from their bulk values. Furthermore, we find that the influence of the extended defects on the NV centers is of short range: NV centers that are about three double layers (corresponding to $\ensuremath{\approx}6\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}\text{\AA{}}$) away from defect planes already show bulklike behavior.

Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond have been used as platforms for quantum information, magnetometry and imaging of microwave (MW) fields. The spatial distribution of the MW fields used to drive the electron spin of NV centers plays a key role for these applications. Here, we report a system for the control and characterization of MW magnetic fields used for the NV spin manipulation. The control of the MW field in the vicinity of a diamond surface is mediated by an exchangeable lumped resonator, coupled inductively to a MW planar ring antenna. The characterization of the MW fields in the near-field is performed by an FFT imaging of Rabi oscillations, by using an ensemble of NV centers. We have found that the Rabi frequency over a lumped resonator is enhanced 22 times compared to the Rabi frequency without the presence of the lumped resonator. Our system may find applications in quantum information and magnetometry where a precise and controlled spin manipulation is required, showing NV centers as good candidates for imaging MW fields and characterization of MW devices.

Photonic spin texture (PST), the spatial distribution of the spin angular momentum (SAM) of light, is connected to unique properties of light, such as optical skyrmions and topological optical N-invariants. There has been recent progress on the generation and manipulation of PST using various methodologies. However, a challenge remains for the sub-wavelength characterization of PST. Here, we demonstrate nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond as nanoscale quantum sensors for imaging the PST of a beam with orbital angular momentum (OAM). Leveraging the coherent interaction between photon spin and NV center electron spin at cryogenic temperature (77 K), and using the Hahn-Echo magnetometry technique, we experimentally demonstrate the imprinting of the PST on the quantum phase shift of NV centers. Our work can lead to the development of a quantum imaging platform capable of characterization of the spin texture of light at sub-wavelength scales.

We study an optical transistor (switch and amplifier) and router by spontaneous parametric four-wave mixing and fluorescence in diamond nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center. The routing results from three peaks of fluorescence signal in the time domain, while the switching and amplification are realized by correlation and squeezing. The intensity switching speed is about 17 ns. The optical transistor and router are controlled by the power of incident beams. Our experimental results provide that the advance technique of peak division and channel equalization ratio of about 90% are applicable to all optical switching and routing.

We propose a novel method based on the inverse problem approach to optimize the shape of a magnet generates high uniformity of magnetic fields in a magnetometer with diamond nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers. Our original method can determine the combination of magnetic moments required to design a unique magnet shape. We obtained a unique shape of the small magnet (optimized model, 15 × 15 × 25 mm3 and 25 × 25 × 15 mm3) for integrated magnetometry system and improved the magnetic uniformity from 83.6% to 99.0% in the diamond NV centers area (X = −1–1 mm, Y = −1–1 mm, Z = 5–6 mm). The results indicate a highly sensitive magnetometer with a diamond NV center for future biomedical applications.

Non-invasive imaging of microwave (MW) magnetic fields with microscale lateral resolution is pivotal for various applications, such as MW technologies and integrated circuit failure analysis. Diamond nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center magnetometry has emerged as an ideal tool, offering micrometer-scale resolution, millimeter-scale field of view, high sensitivity, and non-invasive imaging compatible with diverse samples. However, up until now, it has been predominantly used for imaging of static or low-frequency magnetic fields or, concerning MW field imaging, to directly characterize the same microwave device used to drive the NV spin transitions. In this work, we leverage an NV center ensemble in diamond for wide-field imaging of MW magnetic fields generated by a test device employing a differential measurement protocol. The microscope is equipped with a MW loop to induce Rabi oscillations between NV spin states, and the MW field from the device-under-test is measured through local deviations in the Rabi frequency. This differential protocol yields magnetic field maps of a 2.57 GHz MW field with a sensitivity of ∼9 μT Hz−1/2 for a total measurement duration of T=357 s, covering a 340×340μm2 field of view with a micrometer-scale spatial resolution and a device-under-test input power dynamic range of 30 dB. This work demonstrates a novel NV magnetometry protocol, based on differential Rabi frequency measurement, that extends NV wide-field imaging capabilities to imaging of weak MW magnetic fields that would be difficult to measure directly through standard NV Rabi magnetometry.

Diamond nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center has been widely employed in experimental magnetic field measurement using continuous wave optical detection magnetic resonance (ODMR), which makes it possible for current sensing. An optical fiber current transducer prototype using an NV center is built for electric power application. The DC measurement with an error of less than 4% within 500 A is realized, in which the error of 50 A to 450 A is better than 2%, and the low-frequency AC measurement is preliminarily realized. In this essay, the accuracy of low current measurement is primarily affected by system noise, while the accuracy of heavy current is mainly affected by the width of the ODMR resonance peak. Optimizing the optical path as well as sensing structure meanwhile updating the demodulation algorithm of the measured data is the following work to improve the measurement accuracy.

Heralded universal quantum gates can largely decrease the quantum resource consumed in the integration of a multiqubit quantum circuit. Here, we present a scheme for heralded universal quantum computing, including the construction of the CNOT gate, Fredkin gate, and Toffoli gate on the electron spins in diamond nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers assisted by low- Q microtoroidal resonators. These quantum gates can achieve unity fidelity, as the infidelity induced by the imperfect input–output process is transferred into photon loss. The clicks on different single-photon detectors can either herald the success of the quantum gates or instruct an immediate recycling procedure, even without reinitializing the NV centers. Besides the heralding, this scheme is also more realistic, observing that the non-monochromatic auxiliary photon and the inhomogeneous NV centers have no adverse impact on fidelity. The high fidelity and efficiency with experimental parameters show that the scheme is feasible with current technology.

We propose a scheme to achieve switchable coupling between nitrogen-vacancy (N-V) center in diamond and superconducting charge qubit by a quantized nanomechanical resonator (NAMR) as a data bus. This procotol can be used to transfer the quantum state from charge qubit to N-V center. Owing to the N-V center has relatively long decoherence time, the information can be stable stored in it. Finally, we discuss the experimental feasibility of our scheme.

Currently, thermally excited magnons are being intensively investigated owing\nto their potential in computing devices and thermoelectric conversion\ntechnologies. We report the detection of thermal magnon current propagating in\na magnetic insulator yttrium iron garnet under a temperature gradient using a\nquantum sensor: electron spins associated with nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in\ndiamond. Thermal magnon current was observed as modified Rabi oscillation\nfrequencies of NV spins hosted in a beam-shaped bulk diamond that resonantly\ncoupled with coherent magnon propagating over a long distance. Additionally,\nusing a nanodiamond, alteration in NV spin relaxation rates depending on the\napplied temperature gradient were observed under a non-resonant NV excitation\ncondition. The demonstration of probing thermal magnon current mediated by\ncoherent magnon via NV spin states serves as a basis for creating a device\nplatform hybridizing spin caloritronics and spin qubits.\n

In the paper, we present schemes for implementing multi-qubit quantum gates in quantum networks based on the nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond. In our schemes, NV centers coupled to the whispering-gallery modes of microtoroidal resonators serve as quantum registers to store quantum information. By coding the qubits of NV centers into decoherence-free subspaces, quantum information encoded in logical qubits is protected from collective dephasing, and quantum controlled-NOT and Toffoli gates between logical qubits from the same or different quantum nodes can be implemented. Compared with the previous works, our schemes are simpler and reduce the consumption of resources. Furthermore, the modularized design of multi-qubit quantum gates can be extended to other quantum platforms, which may lead to more efficient construction of quantum networks for distributed quantum computation and quantum communication.

Generation of a local magnetic field at the nanoscale is desirable for many applications such as spin-qubit-based quantum memories. However, this is a challenge due to the slow decay of static magnetic fields. Here, we demonstrate a photonic spin density (PSD)-induced effective static magnetic field for an ensemble of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in bulk diamond. This locally induced magnetic field is a result of coherent interaction between the optical excitation and the NV centers. We demonstrate an optically induced spin rotation on the Bloch sphere exceeding 10 degrees which has potential applications in all-optical coherent control of spin qubits.