Optically controlled switching of the charge state of a single nitrogen-vacancy center in diamond at cryogenic temperatures

In this Letter, the photoinduced switching of the single nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center between two different charge states, negative (NV(-)) and neutral (NV(0)), is studied under resonant excitation at liquid helium temperature. We show that resonant conversion of NV(0) to NV(-) significantly improve...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical review letters 2013-04, Vol.110 (16), p.167402-167402, Article 167402
Main Authors: Siyushev, P, Pinto, H, Vörös, M, Gali, A, Jelezko, F, Wrachtrup, J
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:In this Letter, the photoinduced switching of the single nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center between two different charge states, negative (NV(-)) and neutral (NV(0)), is studied under resonant excitation at liquid helium temperature. We show that resonant conversion of NV(0) to NV(-) significantly improves spectral stability of the NV(-) defect and allows high fidelity initialization of the spin qubit. Based on density functional theory calculations a novel mechanism involving an Auger ionization of NV(-) and charge transfer of an electron from the valence band to NV(0) is discussed. This study provides further insight into the charge dynamics of the NV center, which is relevant for quantum information processing based on an NV(-) defect in diamond.
ISSN:0031-9007
1079-7114
DOI:10.1103/physrevlett.110.167402