Spin-photon entanglement interfaces in silicon carbide defect centers

TL;DR

This paper develops schemes for creating spin-photon entanglement in silicon carbide defect centers, enabling quantum communication and computing applications with near-telecom wavelength emitters.

Contribution

It introduces explicit methods for spin-photon entanglement in SiC defects, including single-photon, spin, and cluster state generation schemes.

Findings

Schemes for spin-photon entanglement in SiC defects are proposed.

Methods for generating long strings of entangled photons are developed.

Potential for long-range quantum communication using SiC defect centers.

Abstract

Optically active spins in solid-state systems can be engineered to emit photons that are entangled with the spin in the solid. This allows for applications such as quantum communications, quantum key distribution, and distributed quantum computing. Recently, there has been a strong interest in silicon carbide defects, as they emit very close to the telecommunication wavelength, making them excellent candidates for long range quantum communications. In this work we develop explicit schemes for spin-photon entanglement in several SiC defects: the silicon monovacancy, the silicon divacancy, and the NV center in SiC. Distinct approaches are given for (i) single-photon and spin entanglement and (ii) the generation of long strings of entangled photons. The latter are known as cluster states and comprise a resource for measurement-based quantum information processing.