Generation of a coherent electronic spin cluster in diamond

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the control and coherent manipulation of a nitrogen spin cluster around a single NV center in diamond, enabling advanced quantum sensing and simulation capabilities.

Contribution

It introduces a method to polarize, localize, and coherently exchange spins in a nitrogen cluster near an NV center, advancing quantum control in diamond.

Findings

Successful polarization and readout of a three-spin nitrogen cluster

Sub-nanometer localization of the cluster spins

Demonstration of coherent spin exchange between NV and nitrogen spins

Abstract

An obstacle for spin-based quantum sensors is magnetic noise due to proximal spins. However, such a spin cluster surrounding the sensor can become an asset, if it can be controlled. Here, we polarize and readout a cluster of three nitrogen (N) electron spins coupled to a single nitrogen-vacancy (NV) spin in diamond. We further achieve sub-nm localization of the cluster spins. Finally, we demonstrate coherent spin exchange between the species by simultaneous dressing of the NV and the N states. These results establish the feasibility of environment-assisted sensing and quantum simulations with diamond spins.