A team of researchers has developed a technique that allows them to record the quantum mechanical behavior of an individual electron found within a nanoscale defect in diamond.
Their study was published recently online in Science Express and will be published in print later this month in Science.
The technique requires ultrafast pulses of laser light to observe how a single electron state changes over time and to control the defect's entire quantum state and, according to a University of Pennsylvania press release.
Findings of the study means quantum computing and information processing could be a reality a lot sooner than previously believed, according to the release.
For the study, researchers focused on quantum mechanical property of electrons known as spin.
Their research revolves around a quantum spin system known as nitrogen-vacancy center, which is an atomic-scale defect found in naturally occurring diamonds.
"These defects have garnered great interest over the past decade, providing a test-bed system for developing semiconductor quantum bits as well as nanoscale sensors," said research head David Awschalom, a molecular engineering professor at Chicago, according to the press release. "Here, we were able to harness light to completely control the quantum state of this defect at extremely high speeds."
Researchers were able to illuminate a single such NV center with two pulses of light from a laser. Each was less than a millionth of millionth of a second, according to the study.
"Our goal was to push the limits of quantum control in these remarkable defect systems, but the technique also provides an exciting new measurement tool," said study participant and co-author Lee Bassett, now a University of Pennsylvania electrical engineering professor, according to the release.
"It's quite a versatile technique, providing a full picture of the excited state of the quantum defect," said F. Joseph Heremans, a UChicago postdoctoral scholar, the other co-lead author on the paper, according to the release. "Previous work on the nitrogen-vacancy center has hinted at some of these processes, but here, simply through the application of these ultrafast pulses, we get a much richer understanding of this quantum beast."
It's not just a matter of observation though, said Evelyn Hy, a professor of applied physics and electrical engineering at Harvard University, who is not connected with the new work.
"This technique offers a path toward understanding and controlling new materials at the atomic level," said Professor Guido Burkard, theoretical physicist at the University of Konstanz and a co-author of the paper, according to the release.
Hu agrees that the technique opens many new avenues, and each new system will pose new challenges to understanding the energy levels, local environments and other properties.
"The general approach should provide an enormous step forward for the field," said Hu.
In addition to researchers from UChicago's Institute for Molecular Engineering, the team included collaborators at the University of California, Santa Barbara (co-lead author Lee Bassett is now at the University of Pennsylvania), and the University of Konstanz, Germany.
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