Storage and retrieval of solitons in electromagnetically induced transparent system of V-type three-level diamond nitrogen-vacancy color centers

At a Glance

Metadata	Details
Publication Date	2024-01-01
Journal	Acta Physica Sinica
Authors	Cong Tan, Wang Deng-Long, Yaoyong Dong, Jianwen Ding
Citations	1
Analysis	Full AI Review Included

Executive Summary

This research demonstrates a robust method for storing and retrieving stable quantum information carriers (solitons) using V-type three-level Nitrogen-Vacancy (NV) color centers in diamond, a critical step for solid-state quantum memory.

High-Fidelity Storage: Solitons, stable wave packets resulting from the balance of dispersion and nonlinearity, are successfully stored and retrieved in the V-type NV EIT system, offering higher fidelity than general pulse storage.
Solid-State Advantage: The NV center system operates at room temperature and is highly integrable, overcoming the limitations of ultra-cold atomic media (low temperature, low density) and previous V-type quantum dot systems (which failed to store solitons).
EIT Control: The Electromagnetically Induced Transparency (EIT) window, essential for low-loss propagation, is formed by turning on the strong control magnetic field (B_c). The width of this EIT window scales directly with the strength of B_c.
Storage Mechanism: Soliton storage and retrieval are achieved by precisely switching the control magnetic field (B_c) on and off using a hyperbolic tangent function profile.
Amplitude Modulation: The amplitude (intensity) of the stored and retrieved soliton can be actively tuned and modulated by adjusting the magnetic induction strength of the control field (B_c).

Technical Specifications

The following parameters were used in the semi-classical Maxwell-Bloch model simulation for the V-type three-level NV center EIT system.

Parameter	Value	Unit	Context
Zero-Field Splitting (D_gs)	2.87	GHz	Energy difference between
Spontaneous Decay Rate (γ₂₁, γ₃₁)	44	MHz	Decay rates from excited states
Coherence Decay Rate (Γ₃₁)	0.35	MHz	Probe field coupling coherence
Coherence Decay Rate (Γ₂₁)	0.11	MHz	Control field coupling coherence
Control Detuning (Δ_c)	1	MHz	Initial detuning used in linear analysis
Soliton Characteristic Time (τ₀)	7 x 10^-8	s	Time scale of the probe pulse
Propagation Coefficient (k₁₃)	2.3 x 10¹⁰	cm^-1·s^-1	Coefficient relating polarization to probe field
Control Rabi Frequency (Ω_c)	600	MHz	Required for stable soliton propagation
Stable Probe Detuning (Δ_p)	610	MHz	Required for stable soliton propagation
Control Field Strength (B_c)	25 to 50	mT	Range tested for EIT window widening
Soliton Storage Time (T_off - T_on)	5	τ₀	Time duration the control field is off

Key Methodologies

The study utilized a semi-classical theoretical framework combined with advanced numerical techniques to model the interaction between the electromagnetic fields and the NV centers.

System Modeling: A V-type three-level EIT configuration was established using the NV center’s electron spin triplet ground state (|ms=0>, |ms=±1>).
Field Coupling: The system was coupled by a weak probe magnetic field (ω_p, coupling |1> to |3>) and a strong control magnetic field (ω_c, coupling |1> to |2>).
Governing Equations: The system dynamics were described by the Maxwell-Bloch (M-B) equations, which combine the quantum mechanical Bloch equations (for the NV center density matrix) and the classical Maxwell equations (for the field propagation).
Approximation Method: The complex M-B equations were solved using the Multi-Scale Perturbation Method (多重尺度法) to derive simplified equations for linear absorption and nonlinear propagation.
Nonlinear Soliton Derivation: A second-order approximation of the M-B equations resulted in the Complex Nonlinear Schrödinger Equation (NLSE), which describes the stable propagation of the bright soliton pulse (when dispersion and Kerr nonlinearity are balanced).
Numerical Simulation: The stability and storage/retrieval process were verified using the Runge-Kutta Method (龙格库塔法) to numerically solve the full M-B equations, using the analytical soliton solution as the initial condition.
Storage Implementation: The control field (B_c) was switched on and off using a function based on the hyperbolic tangent (tanh) to simulate the storage and retrieval cycle of the probe soliton.

Commercial Applications

The ability to store and manipulate stable quantum information carriers in solid-state NV centers at room temperature has direct implications for several high-tech industries.

Solid-State Quantum Memory: NV centers are prime candidates for quantum memory elements. Soliton storage provides a high-fidelity mechanism for buffering quantum information, crucial for scaling quantum processors.
Integrated Quantum Circuits: The diamond NV platform is highly compatible with integrated photonics. This technology enables the creation of compact, room-temperature quantum devices for information processing and routing.
Quantum Repeaters and Networking: Solitons maintain their shape and integrity over long distances, making them ideal carriers for quantum information in future quantum communication networks and repeaters.
High-Resolution Magnetometry: The demonstrated ability to precisely modulate the stored soliton amplitude via the control magnetic field (B_c) suggests applications in advanced NV-based quantum sensing, particularly for high-sensitivity magnetic field measurements.
Optical Logic Gates: The non-linear interaction and controlled propagation of the solitons can be leveraged to design ultrafast, all-optical logic gates and switches within the diamond matrix.

View Original Abstract

<sec>Compared with light, the solitons, which are from the balance between dispersion and nonlinearity of the system, possess high stability and fidelity as the information carries in quantum information processing and transmission, and have gained considerable attention in ultra-cold atomic electromagnetically induced transparent (EIT) media. To date, the EIT models on the three-level ultra-cold atoms realized experimentally, are ladder-, <inline-formula><tex-math id=“M1”>\begin{document}$\Lambda $\end{document}</tex-math><alternatives><graphic specific-use=“online” xmlns:xlink=“http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink” xlink:href=“10-20232006_M1.jpg”/><graphic specific-use=“print” xmlns:xlink=“http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink” xlink:href=“10-20232006_M1.png”/></alternatives></inline-formula>-, and V-type mode. Current studies show that the solitons cannot be stored in V-type three-level ultra-cold atomic EIT media but they can be stored in ladder- and<inline-formula><tex-math id=“M2”>\begin{document}$\Lambda $\end{document}</tex-math><alternatives><graphic specific-use=“online” xmlns:xlink=“http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink” xlink:href=“10-20232006_M2.jpg”/><graphic specific-use=“print” xmlns:xlink=“http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink” xlink:href=“10-20232006_M2.png”/></alternatives></inline-formula>-type three-level ultra-cold atomic EIT media. It is mainly because the atoms of the V-type system initially are in a excited state, while the atoms of the ladder- and <inline-formula><tex-math id=“M3”>\begin{document}$\Lambda $\end{document}</tex-math><alternatives><graphic specific-use=“online” xmlns:xlink=“http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink” xlink:href=“10-20232006_M3.jpg”/><graphic specific-use=“print” xmlns:xlink=“http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink” xlink:href=“10-20232006_M3.png”/></alternatives></inline-formula>-type systems initially are in the ground state. For the practical applications, it is a large challenge to control accurately the solitons stored in the ultra-cold atomic EIT media due to their ultralow temperature and rarefaction. Fortunately, with the maturity of semiconductor quantum technology, quantum dots have extensively application prospect in quantum information processing and transmission. However, the solitons cannot be stored in V-type three level InAs/GaAs quantum dot EIT media either, while it can be stored in ladder-type system and <inline-formula><tex-math id=“M4”>\begin{document}$\Lambda $\end{document}</tex-math><alternatives><graphic specific-use=“online” xmlns:xlink=“http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink” xlink:href=“10-20232006_M4.jpg”/><graphic specific-use=“print” xmlns:xlink=“http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink” xlink:href=“10-20232006_M4.png”/></alternatives></inline-formula>-type system.</sec><sec>Therefore, herein we propose a V-type three-level nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center EIT model in which a weakprobe field and a strong control field are coupled to different energy levels of NV center in diamond. Subsequently, the linear and nonlinear properties of system are studied by using semiclassical theory combined with multi-scale method. It is shown that when control field is turned on, the linear absorption curve of the system presents an EIT window. And the width of the EIT window increases with the strength of magnetic induction of the control field increasing. In the nonlinear case, the solitons formed can stably propagate over a long distance. Interestingly, the solitons can be stored and retrieved by switching off and on the magnetic field of control field. Moreover, the amplitude of the stored solitons can be modulated by the magnetic induction strength of control field. This result indicates that solitons as information carriers in quantum information processing and transmission of NV center can greatly improve the fidelity of information processing.</sec>

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Original Source

DOI: https://doi.org/10.7498/aps.73.20232006