Abstract
We investigate the coherence properties of individual nuclear spin quantum bits in diamond [Dutt et al., Science 316, 1312 (2007)] when a proximal electronic spin associated with a nitrogen-vacancy () center is being interrogated by optical radiation. The resulting nuclear spin dynamics are governed by time-dependent hyperfine interaction associated with rapid electronic transitions, which can be described by a spin-fluctuator model. We show that due to a process analogous to motional averaging in nuclear magnetic resonance, the nuclear spin coherence can be preserved after a large number of optical excitation cycles. Our theoretical analysis is in good agreement with experimental results. It indicates a novel approach that could potentially isolate the nuclear spin system completely from the electronic environment.
- Received 9 July 2007
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.100.073001
©2008 American Physical Society