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Group theoretical analysis of nitrogen-vacancy center’s energy levels and selection rules

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 March 2011

J. R. Maze*
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A. Facultad de Fisica, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Casilla 306, Santiago, Chile
A. Gali*
Affiliation:
Department of Atomic Physics, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Budafoki ut 8, H-1111 Budapest, Hungary Research Institute for Solid State Physics and Optics, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, PO Box 49, H-1525, Budapest, Hungary
E. Togan
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A.
Y. Chu
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A.
A. Trifonov
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A.
E. Kaxiras
Affiliation:
Department of Physics and School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A.
M. D. Lukin
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A.
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Abstract

We use a group theoretical approach to model the nitrogen-vacancy defect in diamond. In our analysis we clarify several properties of this defect that have been source of controversy such as the ordering of the singlets and the mechanism that leads to spin mixing in the excited state of this defect. In particular, we demonstrate that the ordering of the ground state configuration (e2) is {3A2, 1E, 1A1} and that the spin-spin interaction causes the mixing in the excited state. In addition, we analyze the angular momentum and spin properties of the excited state structure that enables a spin photon entanglement scheme that has been recently demonstrate experimentally. Our description is general and it can be easily applied to other defects in solid-state systems.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2011

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References

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