Research
We are developing novel solid-state quantum systems and devices for quantum sensing and communication.
Solid-state qubits
We aim to improve the efficiency of spin-photon transduction for quantum devices by developing novel solid-state qubits with superior optical and spin properties. An ideal system would exhibit bright and spectrally stable optical transitions coupled to a long-lived electron spin. Our group will develop will techniques for creating near-surface crystallographic defects in diamond [1-3] and alternative materials [4] and validate their properties. Our goal is to demonstrate efficient preparation, manipulation, and readout of the associated spin, which is necessary for building quantum technologies.
[1] B. C. Rose et al., Observation of an Environmentally Insensitive Solid-State Spin Defect in Diamond, Science 361, 60 (2018).
[2] . Harris, C. J. Ciccarino, J. Flick, D. R. Englund, and P. Narang, Group-III Quantum Defects in Diamond Are Stable Spin-1 Color Centers, Phys. Rev. B 102, 195206 (2020).
[3] G. Thiering and A. Gali, Magneto-Optical Spectra of the Split Nickel-Vacancy Defect in Diamond, Phys. Rev. Res. 3, 043052 (2021).
[4] D. B. Higginbottom et al., Optical Observation of Single Spins in Silicon, Nature 607, 7918 (2022).
Quantum sensing
Quantum sensing harnesses quantum phenomena, such as superposition or entanglement, to detect environmental properties with enhanced sensitivity, potentially exceeding what classical physics allows. Such technologies have significant applications in material science, navigation, healthcare, and geophysics. Lattice defects in diamond have already emerged as one of the most promising quantum sensing platforms since their associated electron spins are sensitive to magnetic and electric fields, material strain, and temperature. Such spin sensors can, in principle, enable sub-nanometer spatial resolution [1], outperforming existing classical sensors. Our group will leverage the excellent optical and spin properties of novel solid-state qubits to develop enhanced magnetic sensing techniques. These platforms are expected to exhibit an orders-of-magnitude improvement in sensitivity compared to state-of-the-art diamond-based experiments and would enable detecting single nuclear spins in a molecule [2,3], thereby setting the stage for a single-molecule MRI technology for applications in chemistry, biology, and medicine.
[1] A. O. Sushkov, I. Lovchinsky, N. Chisholm, R. L. Walsworth, H. Park, and M. D. Lukin, Magnetic Resonance Detection of Individual Proton Spins Using Quantum Reporters, Phys. Rev. Lett. 113, 197601 (2014).
[2] R. Budakian et al., Roadmap on Nanoscale Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Nanotechnology 35, 412001 (2024).
[3] J. Du, F. Shi, X. Kong, F. Jelezko, and J. Wrachtrup, Single-molecule scale magnetic resonance spectroscopy using quantum diamond sensors, Rev. Mod. Phys. 96, 025001 (2024).
Quantum devices
Our group creates micro and nanofabricated devices for creating efficient quantum sensing [1] and communication [2] technologies.
[1] T. Zhu, J. Rhensius, K. Herb, V. Damle, G. Puebla-Hellmann, C. L. Degen, and E. Janitz, Multicone Diamond Waveguides for Nanoscale Quantum Sensing, Nano Letters 23 (22), 10110 (2023).
[2] R. Zifkin, C. D. Rodríguez Rosenblueth, E. Janitz, Y. Fontana, and L. Childress, Lifetime Reduction of Single Germanium-Vacancy Centers in Diamond via a Tunable Open Microcavity, PRX Quantum 5, 030308 (2024).