Temporal Coherence of Photons Emitted by Single Nitrogen-Vacancy Defect Centers in Diamond Using Optical Rabi-Oscillations
Abstract
Photon interference among distant quantum emitters is a promising method to generate large scale quantum networks. Interference is best achieved when photons show long coherence times. For the nitrogen-vacancy defect center in diamond we measure the coherence times of photons via optically induced Rabi oscillations. Experiments reveal a close to Fourier-transform (i.e., lifetime) limited width of photons emitted even when averaged over minutes. The projected contrast of two-photon interference (0.8) is high enough to envisage applications in quantum information processing. We report 12 and 7.8 ns excited state lifetimes depending on the spin state of the defect.
- Publication:
-
Physical Review Letters
- Pub Date:
- February 2008
- DOI:
- 10.1103/PhysRevLett.100.077401
- Bibcode:
- 2008PhRvL.100g7401B
- Keywords:
-
- 78.55.Qr;
- 42.50.Ct;
- 42.50.Md;
- 61.72.J-;
- Amorphous materials;
- glasses and other disordered solids;
- Quantum description of interaction of light and matter;
- related experiments;
- Optical transient phenomena: quantum beats photon echo free-induction decay dephasings and revivals optical nutation and self-induced transparency;
- Point defects and defect clusters