No Arabic abstract
A study of the photophysical properties of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) color centers in diamond nanocrystals of size of 50~nm or below is carried out by means of second-order time-intensity photon correlation and cross-correlation measurements as a function of the excitation power for both pure charge states, neutral and negatively charged, as well as for the photochromic state, where the center switches between both states at any power. A dedicated three-level model implying a shelving level is developed to extract the relevant photophysical parameters coupling all three levels. Our analysis confirms the very existence of the shelving level for the neutral NV center. It is found that it plays a negligible role on the photophysics of this center, whereas it is responsible for an increasing photon bunching behavior of the negative NV center with increasing power. From the photophysical parameters, we infer a quantum efficiency for both centers, showing that it remains close to unity for the neutral center over the entire power range, whereas it drops with increasing power from near unity to approximately 0.5 for the negative center. The photophysics of the photochromic center reveals a rich phenomenology that is to a large extent dominated by that of the negative state, in agreement with the excess charge release of the negative center being much slower than the photon emission process.
Nanodiamond crystals containing single color centers have been grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The fluorescence from individual crystallites was directly correlated with crystallite size using a combined atomic force and scanning confocal fluorescence microscope. Under the conditions employed, the optimal size for single optically active nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center incorporation was measured to be 60 to 70 nm. The findings highlight a strong dependence of NV incorporation on crystal size, particularly with crystals less than 50 nm in size.
The conversion of neutral nitrogen-vacancy centers to negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy centers is demonstrated for centers created by ion implantation and annealing in high-purity diamond. Conversion occurs with surface exposure to an oxygen atmosphere at 465 C. The spectral properties of the charge-converted centers are investigated. Charge state control of nitrogen-vacancy centers close to the diamond surface is an important step toward the integration of these centers into devices for quantum information and magnetic sensing applications.
The protocols for the control and readout of Nitrogen Vacancy (NV) centres electron spins in diamond offer an advanced platform for quantum computation, metrology and sensing. These protocols are based on the optical readout of photons emitted from NV centres, which process is limited by the yield of photons collection. Here we report on a novel principle for the detection of NV centres magnetic resonance in diamond by directly monitoring spin-preserving electron transitions through measurement of NV centre related photocurrent. The demonstrated direct detection technique offers a sensitive way for the readout of diamond NV sensors and diamond quantum devices on diamond chips. The Photocurrent Detection of Magnetic Resonance (PDMR) scheme is based on the detection of charge carriers promoted to the conduction band of diamond by the two-photon ionization of NV- centres. Optical detection of magnetic resonance (ODMR) and PDMR are compared, by performing both measurements simultaneously. The minima detected in the measured photocurrent at resonant microwave frequencies are attributed to the spin-dependent occupation probability of the NV- ground state, originating from spin-selective non-radiative transitions.
We present a simple and effective method of loading particles into an optical trap in air at atmospheric pressure. Material which is highly absorptive at the trapping laser wavelength, such as tartrazine dye, is used as media to attach photoluminescent diamond nanocrystals. The mix is burnt into a cloud of air-borne particles as the material is swept near the trapping laser focus on a glass slide. Particles are then trapped with the laser used for burning or transferred to a second laser trap at a different wavelength. Evidence of successfully loading diamond nanocrystals into the trap presented includes high sensitivity of the photoluminecscence (PL) to an excitation laser at 520~nm wavelength and the PL spectra of the optically trapped particles. This method provides a convenient technique for the study of the nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers contained in optically trapped diamond nanocrystals.
Currently, thermally excited magnons are being intensively investigated owing to their potential in computing devices and thermoelectric conversion technologies. We report the detection of thermal magnon current propagating in a magnetic insulator yttrium iron garnet under a temperature gradient using a quantum sensor: electron spins associated with nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond. Thermal magnon current was observed as modified Rabi oscillation frequencies of NV spins hosted in a beam-shaped bulk diamond that resonantly coupled with coherent magnon propagating over a long distance. Additionally, using a nanodiamond, alteration in NV spin relaxation rates depending on the applied temperature gradient were observed under a non-resonant NV excitation condition. The demonstration of probing thermal magnon current mediated by coherent magnon via NV spin states serves as a basis for creating a new device platform hybridizing spin caloritronics and spin qubits.