1207.3363 (L. M. Pham et al.)

Enhanced metrology using preferential orientation of nitrogen-vacancy
centers in diamond    [PDF]

L. M. Pham, N. Bar-Gill, D. Le Sage, A. Stacey, M. Markham, D. J. Twitchen, M. D. Lukin, R. L. Walsworth

We demonstrate preferential orientation of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) color centers along two of four possible crystallographic axes in diamonds grown by chemical vapor deposition on the {100} face. We identify the relevant growth regime and present a possible explanation of this effect. We show that preferential orientation provides increased optical read-out contrast for NV multi-spin measurements, including enhanced AC magnetic field sensitivity, thus providing an important step towards high fidelity multi-spin-qubit quantum information processing, sensing and metrology.

View original: http://arxiv.org/abs/1207.3363