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Dressed-state control of effective dipolar interaction between strongly-coupled solid-state spins

MetadataDetails
Publication Date2023-08-01
Journalnpj Quantum Information
AuthorsMamiko Tatsuta, Andrew Xu, Erik Bauch, Mark Ku
AnalysisFull AI Review Included

Technical Analysis: Dressed-State Control of Dipolar Interactions in NV Diamond

Section titled “Technical Analysis: Dressed-State Control of Dipolar Interactions in NV Diamond”

This document analyzes the research paper “Dressed-state control of effective dipolar interaction between strongly-coupled solid-state spins” and outlines how 6CCVD’s advanced MPCVD diamond materials and fabrication services can support and extend this critical quantum information research.


The research successfully demonstrates a robust method for deterministically tuning the effective dipolar coupling (Veff) between two strongly-coupled Nitrogen Vacancy (NV) centers in diamond, a crucial step for scalable solid-state quantum systems.

  • Core Achievement: Deterministic control of the effective dipolar coupling (Veff) between two NV spin-1 qutrits by manipulating their dressed states using dual Rabi driving fields.
  • Material Requirement: The experiment relies on ultra-high purity, isotopically enriched 12C MPCVD diamond (99.99%) to achieve long spin coherence times (T1 up to 4.3 ms).
  • Key Result: Veff was tuned across a range from +Vdip/2 to -Vdip/2, demonstrating precise control over interaction dynamics, confirmed via Ramsey spectroscopy and Spin-Lock (SL) polarization transfer.
  • Interaction Strength: Bare dipolar coupling strength (Vdip) was measured at 0.250 ± 0.015 MHz, corresponding to an NV-NV separation of approximately 6 nm.
  • Quantum Application: This dressed-state scheme is projected to homogenize the distribution of interaction strengths within NV ensembles, significantly enhancing the fidelity for generating multi-spin correlated states and quantum-enhanced sensing.
  • Methodology: NV pairs were created using low-dosage 6 keV +28N molecular ion implantation followed by high-temperature annealing (up to 1000 °C).

The following hard data points were extracted from the experimental results and material preparation protocols:

ParameterValueUnitContext
Diamond Isotopic Purity99.99%12C enrichment (CVD grown)
Diamond Dimensions2 x 2 x 0.5mmSubstrate size used for experiments
Implantation Species/Energy+28N / 6keVMolecular ion implantation for NV creation
Implantation Dosage1 x 109cm-2Low dosage for proximal NV pair creation
Annealing Temperature (Max)1000°CRequired for N-to-NV conversion
Bare Dipolar Coupling (Vdip)0.250 ± 0.015MHzMeasured NVA-NVB coupling strength
Estimated NV-NV Separation~6nmImplies strong coupling regime
NVA Longitudinal Lifetime (T1)4.3 ± 0.2msSpin relaxation time
NVA Coherence Time (T2)49.7 ± 4.5”sSpin echo measurement
NVB Coherence Time (T2)13.3 ± 1.2”sSpin echo measurement
Bias Magnetic Field (Bext)~45GApplied for Zeeman splitting
Maximum Rabi Frequency (Ω±)10MHzUsed for dressed state manipulation

The experiment utilized high-precision material engineering and advanced quantum control sequences:

  1. Material Synthesis: A 2 mm x 2 mm x 0.5 mm diamond substrate was grown via MPCVD and isotopically purified to 99.99% 12C to minimize magnetic noise from 13C bath spins.
  2. Defect Creation: Strongly-coupled NV pairs were generated using low-dosage (1x109 cm-2) 6 keV +28N molecular ion implantation.
  3. Post-Processing: The implanted diamond was subjected to two-step high-temperature annealing (800 °C for 8h, then 1000 °C for 10h) to activate the NV centers.
  4. Intrinsic Coupling Measurement: The bare dipolar coupling strength (Vdip) was determined using the Double Electron-Electron Resonance (DEER) pulse sequence and confirmed via Ramsey spectroscopy.
  5. Dressed State Preparation: Two resonant microwave Rabi driving fields (Ω+ and Ω-) were applied simultaneously to the control spin (NVB) to generate doubly-dressed spin-1 qutrit states.
  6. Effective Coupling Control: The effective coupling (Veff) was tuned by adjusting the ratio of the Rabi frequencies, defined by the control parameter $\alpha = (\Omega_{+} - \Omega_{-}) / (\Omega_{+} + \Omega_{-})$.
  7. Interaction Dynamics Observation: Spin-Lock (SL) polarization transfer measurements were performed under singly- and doubly-dressed state Hartmann-Hahn (SHH/DHH) matching conditions to validate the controlled interaction dynamics.

This research highlights the critical dependence of advanced quantum experiments on ultra-high quality, custom-engineered diamond substrates. 6CCVD is uniquely positioned to supply the materials and services required to replicate, scale, and advance this work.

The long coherence times (T1 up to 4.3 ms) achieved in this study are directly attributable to the use of high-purity, isotopically enriched diamond.

Material Requirement6CCVD SolutionTechnical SpecificationValue Proposition
Ultra-High Purity SubstrateOptical Grade Single Crystal Diamond (SCD)12C Isotopic Enrichment >99.99%Minimizes magnetic noise (13C) and maximizes T2 coherence for high-fidelity quantum operations.
Low Nitrogen ConcentrationSCD (Electronic Grade)[N] concentration < 1 ppbEssential for reducing P1 spin bath noise, enabling observation of intrinsic NV-NV dynamics.
Custom Defect EngineeringSCD SubstratesThicknesses from 0.1 ”m up to 10 mmProvides robust, high-quality starting material optimized for subsequent low-energy ion implantation and high-temperature annealing (up to 1000 °C).

The complexity of the experimental setup, involving coplanar waveguides and precise sample alignment, necessitates custom material engineering.

  • Custom Dimensions and Thickness: The paper used 2 mm x 2 mm x 0.5 mm plates. 6CCVD offers custom dimensions for SCD plates and PCD wafers up to 125 mm, with thicknesses ranging from 0.1 ”m to 10 mm, supporting both small-scale research and scalable device integration.
  • Ultra-Low Roughness Polishing: Achieving reliable optical access and minimizing surface defects for near-surface NV centers requires exceptional surface quality. 6CCVD provides precision polishing to achieve Ra < 1 nm on SCD, ensuring optimal performance for confocal microscopy and microwave delivery integration.
  • Integrated Metalization Services: The experiment utilized external microwave delivery via a CPW. 6CCVD offers in-house custom metalization (e.g., Ti/Pt/Au, W, Cu) directly onto the diamond substrate, allowing researchers to integrate microwave transmission lines and electrodes for simplified, high-performance quantum device fabrication.

Replicating the strong coupling regime (Vdip = 0.250 MHz) requires precise control over the NV creation process (implantation and annealing).

  • Defect Engineering Consultation: 6CCVD’s in-house PhD team provides expert consultation on material selection and preparation protocols specifically tailored for quantum defect engineering. We assist clients in optimizing diamond substrates for low-energy ion implantation and subsequent high-temperature annealing required for creating strongly-coupled NV pairs.
  • Application Extension: This dressed-state control scheme is vital for generating multi-spin correlated states. 6CCVD can assist engineers in selecting materials suitable for scaling this approach to larger NV ensembles for quantum-enhanced sensing and quantum simulation projects.

For custom specifications or material consultation, visit 6ccvd.com or contact our engineering team directly.

View Original Abstract

Abstract Strong interactions between defect spins in many-body solid-state quantum systems are a crucial resource for exploring non-classical states. However, they face the key challenge of controlling interactions between the defect spins, since they are spatially fixed inside the host lattice. In this work, we present a dressed state approach to control the effective dipolar coupling between solid-state spins and demonstrate this scheme experimentally using two strongly-coupled nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers in diamond. Through Ramsey spectroscopy on the sensor spin, we detect the change of the effective dipolar field generated by the control spin prepared in different dressed states. To observe the change of interaction dynamics, we deploy spin-lock-based polarization transfer measurements between the two NV spins in different dressed states. This scheme allows us to control the distribution of interaction strengths in strongly interacting spin systems, which can be a valuable tool for generating multi-spin correlated states for quantum-enhanced sensing.