Proposal for observing dynamic Jahn–Teller effect by single solid-state defects
At a Glance
Section titled “At a Glance”| Metadata | Details |
|---|---|
| Publication Date | 2016-10-17 |
| Journal | New Journal of Physics |
| Authors | Xing Xiao, Nan Zhao |
| Institutions | Gannan Normal University, Beijing Computational Science Research Center |
| Citations | 5 |
Abstract
Section titled “Abstract”The Jahn-Teller effect (JTE) widely exists in polyatomic systems including organic molecules, nano-magnets, and solid-state defects. Detecting the JTE at single-molecule level can provide unique properties about the detected individual object. However, such measurements are challenging because of the weak signals associated with a single quantum object. Here, we propose that the dynamic JTE of single defects in solids can be observed with nearby quantum sensors. With numerical simulations, we demonstrate the real-time monitoring of JT axis jumps between different stable configurations of single substitutional nitrogen defect centers (P1 centers) in diamond. This is achieved by measuring the spin coherence of a single nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center near the P1 center with the double electron-electron resonance technique. Our work extends the ability of NV center as a quantum probe to sense the rich physics in various electron-vibrational coupled systems.