Quantum control of nuclear-spin qubits in a rapidly rotating diamond
At a Glance
Section titled āAt a Glanceā| Metadata | Details |
|---|---|
| Publication Date | 2021-12-13 |
| Journal | Physical Review Research |
| Authors | A. A. Wood, R. M. Goldblatt, R. E. Scholten, A. Martin |
| Institutions | The University of Melbourne |
| Citations | 12 |
Abstract
Section titled āAbstractāNuclear spins in certain solids couple weakly to their environment, making\nthem attractive candidates for quantum information processing and inertial\nsensing. When coupled to the spin of an optically-active electron, nuclear\nspins can be rapidly polarized, controlled and read via lasers and\nradiofrequency fields. Possessing coherence times of several milliseconds at\nroom temperature, nuclear spins hosted by a nitrogen-vacancy center in diamond\nare thus intriguing systems to observe how classical physical rotation at\nquantum timescales affects a quantum system. Unlocking this potential is\nhampered by precise and inflexible constraints on magnetic field strength and\nalignment in order to optically induce nuclear polarization, which restricts\nthe scope for further study and applications. In this work, we demonstrate\noptical nuclear spin polarization and rapid quantum control of nuclear spins in\na diamond physically rotating at $1\,$kHz, faster than the nuclear spin\ncoherence time. Free from the need to maintain strict field alignment, we are\nable to measure and control nuclear spins in hitherto inaccessible regimes,\nsuch as in the presence of a large, time-varying magnetic field that makes an\nangle of more than $100^\circ$ to the nitrogen-lattice vacancy axis. The field\ninduces spin mixing between the electron and nuclear states of the qubits,\ndecoupling them from oscillating rf fields. We are able to demonstrate that\ncoherent spin state control is possible at any point of the rotation, and even\nfor up to six rotation periods. We combine continuous dynamical decoupling with\nquantum feedforward control to eliminate decoherence induced by imperfect\nmechanical rotation. Our work liberates a previously inaccessible degree of\nfreedom of the NV nuclear spin, unlocking new approaches to quantum control and\nrotation sensing.\n