2014/10/01 by B. J. Shields, Q. P. Unterreithmeier, N. P. de Leon +2 · 2 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #quant-ph #cond-mat.mes-hall
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.114.136402
published as Phys. Rev. Lett. 114, 136402 (2015) · 10 pages, 10 figures
arxiv created 2014/10/01 · arxiv updated 2015/04/08
Efficient readout of individual electronic spins associated with atom-like impurities in the solid state is essential for applications in quantum information processing and quantum metrology. We demonstrate a new method for efficient spin readout of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond. The method is based on conversion of the electronic spin state of the NV to a charge state distribution, followed by single-shot readout of the charge state. Conversion is achieved through a spin-dependent photoionization process in diamond at room temperature. Using NVs in nanofabricated diamond beams, we demonstrate that the resulting spin readout noise is within a factor of three of the spin projection noise level. Applications of this technique for nanoscale magnetic sensing are discussed.