Abstract
Abstract The nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in diamond is a widely utilized system due to its useful quantum properties. Almost all research focuses on the negative charge state (NV−) and comparatively little is understood about the neutral charge state (NV0). This is surprising as the charge state often fluctuates between NV0 and NV− during measurements. There are potentially under-utilized technical applications that could take advantage of NV0, either by improving the performance of NV0 or utilizing NV− directly. However, the fine structure of NV0 has not been observed. Here, we rectify this lack of knowledge by performing magnetic circular dichroism measurements that quantitatively determine the fine structure of NV0. The observed behavior is accurately described by spin-Hamiltonians in the ground and excited states with the ground state yielding a spin-orbit coupling of λ = 2.24 ± 0.05 GHz and a orbital g-factor of 0.0186 ± 0.0005. The reasons why this fine structure has not been previously measured are discussed and strain-broadening is concluded to be the likely reason.
Highlights
The nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in diamond is a widely utilized system due to its useful quantum properties
Despite the intense interest in NV−, surprisingly little is known about the other common charge state of the NV center, the neutrally charged NV0
There are a number of possible explanations for the differing reductions of the orbital g-factor and spin-orbit parameter from NV− to NV0
Summary
The nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in diamond is a widely utilized system due to its useful quantum properties. The observed behavior is accurately described by spin-Hamiltonians in the ground and excited states with the ground state yielding a spin-orbit coupling of λ = 2.24 ± 0.05 GHz and a orbital g-factor of 0.0186 ± 0.0005 The reasons why this fine structure has not been previously measured are discussed and strainbroadening is concluded to be the likely reason. Applications include nanoscale quantum sensing and quantum information processing This remarkable utility is due to the useful spindependent photodynamics of the center’s negative charge state (NV−). A better understanding of the ground state electron spin of NV0 could lead to improved control and longer nuclear spin coherence Another application is the ability to detect the electron ejected to the conduction band during ionization from NV− to NV0 for spinto-charge readout of the NV− spin [8].
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