Electron-Nuclear Coherent Coupling and Nuclear Spin Readout through Optically Polarized V Spin States in hBN.

Coherent coupling of defect spins with surrounding nuclei along with the endowment to read out the latter are basic requirements for an application in quantum technologies. We show that negatively charged boron vacancies (V) in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) meet these prerequisites. We demonstrate Hahn-echo coherence of the V spin with a characteristic decay time = 15 μs, close to the theoretically predicted limit of 18 μs for defects in hBN.

Spin defects in hBN as promising temperature, pressure and magnetic field quantum sensors.

Spin defects in solid-state materials are strong candidate systems for quantum information technology and sensing applications. Here we explore in details the recently discovered negatively charged boron vacancies (V) in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) and demonstrate their use as atomic scale sensors for temperature, magnetic fields and externally applied pressure. These applications are possible due to the high-spin triplet ground state and bright spin-dependent photoluminescence of the V.

Creation of Negatively Charged Boron Vacancies in Hexagonal Boron Nitride Crystal by Electron Irradiation and Mechanism of Inhomogeneous Broadening of Boron Vacancy-Related Spin Resonance Lines.

Optically addressable high-spin states (S ≥ 1) of defects in semiconductors are the basis for the development of solid-state quantum technologies. Recently, one such defect has been found in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) and identified as a negatively charged boron vacancy (VB-). To explore and utilize the properties of this defect, one needs to design a robust way for its creation in an hBN crystal.

Room temperature coherent control of spin defects in hexagonal boron nitride.

Optically active spin defects are promising candidates for solid-state quantum information and sensing applications. To use these defects in quantum applications coherent manipulation of their spin state is required. Here, we realize coherent control of ensembles of boron vacancy centers in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN).

Initialization and read-out of intrinsic spin defects in a van der Waals crystal at room temperature.

Optically addressable spins in wide-bandgap semiconductors are a promising platform for exploring quantum phenomena. While colour centres in three-dimensional crystals such as diamond and silicon carbide were studied in detail, they were not observed experimentally in two-dimensional (2D) materials. Here, we report spin-dependent processes in the 2D material hexagonal boron nitride (hBN).