Microwave Spin Control of a Tin-Vacancy Qubit in Diamond

• Published in: Physical review. X 2023-08, Vol.13 (3), p.031022, Article 031022
• Main Authors: Rosenthal, Eric I., Anderson, Christopher P., Kleidermacher, Hannah C., Stein, Abigail J., Lee, Hope, Grzesik, Jakob, Scuri, Giovanni, Rugar, Alison E., Riedel, Daniel, Aghaeimeibodi, Shahriar, Ahn, Geun Ho, Van Gasse, Kasper, Vučković, Jelena
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS; CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSICS; Coherent control; color centers; Diamond; Electronic structure of atoms & molecules; NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY; Optically detected magnetic resonance; Quantum control; Quantum networks; Quantum optics; Spectroscopy
• ISSN: 2160-3308; 2160-3308
• DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevX.13.031022

The negatively charged tin-vacancy (SnV–) center in diamond is a promising solid-state qubit for applications in quantum networking due to its high quantum efficiency, strong zero phonon emission, and reduced sensitivity to electrical noise. The SnV– has a large spin-orbit coupling, which allows for long spin lifetimes at elevated temperatures, but unfortunately suppresses the magnetic dipole transitions desired for quantum control. Here, by use of a naturally strained center, we overcome this limitation and achieve high-fidelity microwave spin control. We demonstrate a π-pulse fidelity of up to 99.51 ± 0.03 % and a Hahn-echo coherence time of $T$$^{echo}_{2}$ = 170.0 ± 2.8 μs, both the highest yet reported for SnV– platform. This performance comes without compromise to optical stability, and is demonstrated at 1.7 K where ample cooling power is available to mitigate drive-induced heating. These results pave the way for SnV– spins to be used as a building block for future quantum technologies.