Abstract
The silicon-vacancy () color center in diamond has attracted attention because of its unique optical properties. It exhibits spectral stability and indistinguishability that facilitate efficient generation of photons capable of demonstrating quantum interference. Here we show optical initialization and readout of electronic spin in a single center with a spin relaxation time of . Coherent population trapping (CPT) is used to demonstrate coherent preparation of dark superposition states with a spin coherence time of . This is fundamentally limited by orbital relaxation, and an understanding of this process opens the way to extend coherence by engineering interactions with phonons. Hyperfine structure is observed in CPT measurements with the isotope which allows access to nuclear spin. These results establish the center as a solid-state spin-photon interface.
- Received 12 October 2014
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.113.263602
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Published by the American Physical Society
Viewpoint
Diamond Spins Shining Bright
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