Nitrogen Vacancy Centers in Diamond Optomechanical Crystals

Mechanical interfaces to quantum two-level systems enable a new regime of quantum control, readout, and information transfer which could augment more established optical and microwave methods. Recent experiments have demonstrated such an interface using strain-mediated coupling between diamond mechanical resonators and the spin and orbital degrees of freedom of embedded Nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers [1], which exhibit long quantum coherence. Strong NV-phonon coupling in these devices would enable such applications as phonon-mediated spin-spin interactions, NV-assisted mechanical cooling, and mechanical transduction of quantum information. However, these applications require devices that simultaneously operate in the quantum regime of mechanical motion and preserve NV coherence, presenting a significant engineering challenge. Here we fabricate single-crystal diamond optomechanical crystals with GHz-frequency mechanical modes, telecom-band optical modes, and embedded NV centers. We study the dynamics of the combined optical-mechanical-NV system and evaluate the prospects for realizing applications of quantum acoustics in these devices.
1. D. Lee, et al., J. Opt. 19 033001 (2017)