The nitrogen-vacancy center is a point defect in diamond where a nitrogen atom substitutes for a carbon atom next to a missing lattice site. These centers trap electrons that can be optically pumped and read out using visible lasers. Because their electron spin states are highly sensitive to magnetic fields and remain coherent at room temperature, they are widely used as nanoscale sensors and single-photon sources.
We're pumping the N-V centers with a 532 nanometer source to initialize the spin state before running the microwave sequence.
Also heard as
- NV center
- nitrogen-vacancy
Related terms
Pump
The energy source that excites a gain medium, or the act of supplying it, usually with diodes, flashlamps or current.
Nanophotonics
The study and engineering of light-matter interactions on the nanometer scale.
Linewidth
The spectral width of a single-frequency laser's output, usually given in Hz, kHz or MHz at half maximum.