Magnetic-field-dependent quantum emission in hexagonal boron nitride at room temperature
Abstract
Optically addressable spins associated with defects in wide-bandgap semiconductors are versatile platforms for quantum information processing and nanoscale sensing, where spin-dependent inter-system crossing transitions facilitate optical spin initialization and readout. Recently, the van der Waals material hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) has emerged as a robust host for quantum emitters, promising efficient photon extraction and atom-scale engineering, but observations of spin-related effects have remained thus far elusive. Here, we report room-temperature observations of strongly anisotropic photoluminescence patterns as a function of applied magnetic field for select quantum emitters in h-BN. Field-dependent variations in the steady-state photoluminescence and photon emission statistics are consistent with an electronic model featuring a spin-dependent inter-system crossing between triplet and singlet manifolds, indicating that optically-addressable spin defects are present in h-BN.
- Publication:
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Nature Communications
- Pub Date:
- January 2019
- DOI:
- 10.1038/s41467-018-08185-8
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1804.09061
- Bibcode:
- 2019NatCo..10..222E
- Keywords:
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- Quantum Physics
- E-Print:
- 38 pages, 34 figures