# Controlling the coherence of a diamond spin qubit through strain engineering

## TL;DR

This paper demonstrates how strain engineering in diamond can suppress thermal phonon interactions in silicon-vacancy centers, enhancing quantum coherence without cooling, and enabling potential phonon-based quantum gates.

## Contribution

It introduces strain control as a method to mitigate phonon-induced decoherence in solid-state qubits, offering optical tunability and improved spin coherence.

## Key findings

- Strain significantly affects SiV electronic levels and phonon interactions.
- Strain control enhances spin coherence times.
- Potential for strong spin-phonon coupling and quantum gate implementation.

## Abstract

The uncontrolled interaction of a quantum system with its environment is detrimental for quantum coherence. In the context of solid-state qubits, techniques to mitigate the impact of fluctuating electric and magnetic fields from the environment are well-developed. In contrast, suppression of decoherence from thermal lattice vibrations is typically achieved only by lowering the temperature of operation. Here, we use a nano-electro-mechanical system (NEMS) to mitigate the effect of thermal phonons on a solid-state quantum emitter without changing the system temperature. We study the silicon-vacancy (SiV) colour centre in diamond which has optical and spin transitions that are highly sensitive to phonons. First, we show that its electronic orbitals are highly susceptible to local strain, leading to its high sensitivity to phonons. By controlling the strain environment, we manipulate the electronic levels of the emitter to probe, control, and eventually, suppress its interaction with the thermal phonon bath. Strain control allows for both an impressive range of optical tunability and significantly improved spin coherence. Finally, our findings indicate that it may be possible to achieve strong coupling between the SiV spin and single phonons, which can lead to the realisation of phonon-mediated quantum gates and nonlinear quantum phononics.