Gigahertz dynamics of a strongly driven single spin in diamond – G. D. Fuchs

Date: Mon. January 25th, 2010, 12:30 pm-1:30 pm
Location: Rockefeller 221

Nitrogen vacancy (NV) center spins in diamond have emerged as a promising solid-state system for quantum information and communication. Techniques to manipulate a single spin have been used to study the long room temperature spin coherence times of NV centers as well as their interactions with nearby electron and nuclear spins. There remain major challenges, however, both in understanding the physics of these defects and in the development of technologies based on their quantum properties. We extend coherent control of individual spins to the chip level by fabricating coplanar waveguide structures on diamond substrates to apply high-intensity microwave fields. Within large driving fields, conventional models of spin dynamics break down, enabling reproducible spin flips in less than 1 nanosecond [1]. In the orbital excited-state, strong coupling between the NV spin and the nuclear spin of nitrogen may provide a pathway toward high-speed communication with nuclear spin-based quantum memory [2]. We investigate excited-state spin dynamics and find coherence times long enough to provide new opportunities for quantum control and coupling through the excited states [3]. These results represent an important step toward quantum error correction and time-optimal quantum control.
[1] G. D. Fuchs et al., Science 326, 1520 (2009).
[2] G. D. Fuchs et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 101, 117601 (2008).
[3] G. D. Fuchs et al., in preparation (2010).