Silicon-Vacancy Centers in Nanodiamonds for Applications in Quantum Networks

Combining conventional photonic systems with the good optical and spin properties of group IV defects in diamond puts a platform for quantum technologies into reach. Here, we present measurements of characteristic optical and spin properties of negatively-charged Silicon-vacancy centers (SiV) in diamond [1]. At liquid Helium temperatures latter properties are strongly degraded due to interaction with the surrounding phonon bath leading to fast spin dephasing [2]. In our approach, we use nanodiamonds as a host which modifies the aforementioned characteristic features of SiV [3], thereby revealing key benefits with regards to spin coherence compared to conventional bulk diamonds while simultaneously enabling future hybridization with photonic structures, e.g. photonic crystal or open micro-cavities [4,5].