arXiv subjects

Richard Monge

Publications and source records attributed to Richard Monge.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Emission of nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond shaped by topological photonic waveguide modes

As the ability to integrate single photon emitters into photonic architectures improves, so does the need to characterize and understand their interaction. Here, we use a scanning diamond nanocrystal to investigate the interplay between the emission of room-temperature nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers and a proximal topological waveguide. In our experiments, NVs serve as local, spectrally broad light sources which we exploit to characterize the waveguide bandwidth as well as the correspondence between light injection site and directionality of wave propagation. Further, we find that near-field coupling to the waveguide influences the spectral shape and ellipticity of the NV photoluminescence, hence allowing us to reveal nanostructured light fields with a spatial resolution defined by the nanoparticle size. Our results expand on the sensing modalities afforded by color centers, and portend novel opportunities in the development of on-chip, quantum optics devices leveraging topological photonics to best manipulate and readout single-photon emitters.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2025

Statistical imaging of NV centers reveals clustered defect formation in diamond

The sharp optical resonances of NV- centers in diamond at cryogenic temperatures offer powerful new capabilities for material characterization, but extracting the most detailed information typically requires careful calibration of individual sensors, limiting scalability. In this work, we use resonant photoluminescence excitation imaging to optically resolve and monitor hundreds of individual NVs across large fields of view, enabling statistical analysis of their spatial distribution with sub-diffraction resolution. This multiplexed, non-destructive approach allows quantum sensors to characterize the material platform they inhabit. Focusing on CVD-grown diamond, we uncover significant deviations from random distributions, including an unexpectedly high occurrence of closely spaced clusters comprising two or more NVs. These findings suggest non-Poissonian formation dynamics and point to spatially correlated defect generation mechanisms. Beyond offering insight into diamond growth and NV center formation, our approach enables the scalable identification of naturally occurring NV clusters - configurations that are promising for entanglement-assisted quantum information protocols and correlated sensing - and establishes a path toward structural and electronic defect analysis in various material hosts at the single-emitter level.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Beyond ensemble averaging: Parallelized single-shot readout of hole capture in diamond

Understanding the generation, transport and capture of charge carriers in semiconductors is of fundamental technological importance. However, the ensemble measurement techniques ubiquitous in electronics offer limited insight into the nanoscale environment that is crucial to the operation of modern quantum-electronic devices. Here, we combine widefield optical microscopy with precision spectroscopy to examine the capture of photogenerated holes by negatively charged nitrogen vacancy (NV-) centers in diamond. Simultaneous single-shot charge readout over hundreds of individual NVs allows us to resolve the roles of ionized impurities, reveal the formation of space charges fields, and monitor the thermalization of hot photo-carriers during diffusion. We measure effective NV- hole capture radii in excess of 0.2 um, a value approaching the Onsager limit and made possible here thanks to the near-complete neutralization of coexisting charge traps. These results establish a new platform for resolving charge dynamics beyond ensemble averages, with direct relevance to nanoscale electronics and quantum devices.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2024

Probing electric-dipole-enabled transitions in the excited state of the nitrogen-vacancy center in diamond

The excited orbitals of color centers typically show stronger electric dipoles, which can serve as a resource for entanglement, emission tuning, or electric field sensing. Here, we use resonant laser excitation to expose strong transition dipoles in the excited state (ES) orbitals of the negatively charged nitrogen vacancy center in diamond. By applying microwave electric fields, we perform strong Rabi driving between ES orbitals, and show that the dressed states can be tuned in frequency and are protected against fluctuations of the transverse electric field. In contrast with previous results, we observe sharp microwave resonances between magnetic states of the ES orbitals, and find that they are broadened due to simultaneous electric dipole driving.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2024

Reversible optical data storage below the diffraction limit

Color centers in wide-bandgap semiconductors feature metastable charge states that can be interconverted with the help of optical excitation at select wavelengths. The distinct fluorescence and spin properties in each of these states have been exploited to show storage of classical information in three dimensions, but the memory capacity of these platforms has been thus far limited by optical diffraction. Here, we leverage local heterogeneity in the optical transitions of color centers in diamond to demonstrate selective charge state control of individual point defects sharing the same diffraction-limited volume. Further, we apply this approach to dense color center ensembles, and show rewritable, multiplexed data storage with large areal density. These results portend alternative approaches to information processing in the form of devices with enhanced optical storage capacity.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2024

Correlated spectroscopy of electric noise with color center clusters

Experimental noise often contains valuable information on the interactions of a system with its environment but establishing a relation between the measured time fluctuations and relevant physical observables is rarely apparent. Here, we leverage a multi-dimensional and multi-sensor analysis of spectral diffusion to investigate the dynamics of carriers in charge traps surrounding color center clusters in diamond. Working with nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers sharing the same diffraction-limited volume, we establish statistical correlations in the spectral changes we measure as we recursively probe the optical resonances of the cluster, which we subsequently exploit to unveil proximal traps. By simultaneously co-monitoring the spectra of multiple NVs in the set, we show the ability to deterministically induce Stark shifts in the observed optical resonances, hence allowing us to identify electrostatically coupled sets of emitters. These cross-correlated measurements allow us to determine the relative three-dimensional positions of interacting NVs in a cluster as well as the location and charge sign of proximal traps. Our results can be generalized to other color centers and open intriguing opportunities for the microscopic characterization of photo-carrier dynamics in semiconductors and for the manipulation of nanoscale spin-qubit clusters connected via electric fields.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2023

Resonant versus non-resonant spin readout of a nitrogen-vacancy center in diamond under cryogenic conditions

The last decade has seen an explosive growth in the use of color centers for metrology applications, the paradigm example arguably being the nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in diamond. Here, we focus on the regime of cryogenic temperatures and examine the impact of spin-selective, narrow-band laser excitation on NV readout. Specifically, we demonstrate a more than four-fold improvement in sensitivity compared to that possible with non-resonant (green) illumination, largely due to a boost in readout contrast and integrated photon count. We also leverage nuclear spin relaxation under resonant excitation to polarize the 14N host, which we then prove beneficial for spin magnetometry. These results open opportunities in the application of NV sensing to the investigation of condensed matter systems, particularly those exhibiting superconducting, magnetic, or topological phases selectively present at low temperatures.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2022

Spin dynamics of a solid-state qubit in proximity to a superconductor

A broad effort is underway to understand and harness the interaction between superconductors and spin-active color centers with an eye on the realization of hybrid quantum devices and novel imaging modalities of superconducting materials. Most work, however, overlooks the complex interplay between either system and the environment created by the color center host. Here we use an all-diamond scanning probe to investigate the spin dynamics of a single nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center proximal to a high-critical-temperature superconducting film in the presence of a weak magnetic field. We find that the presence of the superconductor increases the NV spin coherence lifetime, a phenomenon we tentatively rationalize as a change in the electric noise due to a superconductor-induced redistribution of charge carriers near the NV site. We build on these findings to demonstrate transverse-relaxation-time-weighted imaging of the superconductor film. These results shed light on the complex surface dynamics governing the spin coherence of shallow NVs while simultaneously paving the route to new forms of noise spectroscopy and imaging of superconductors.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗