Dynamics of single-photon emission from electrically pumped color centers

TL;DR

This paper develops a theoretical model and simulations to understand the dynamics of electrically pumped color centers, specifically nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond, for single-photon emission at room temperature.

Contribution

It introduces a physical model and numerical approach to interpret experimental results of electrically driven single-photon sources based on color centers.

Findings

The model accurately predicts emission characteristics and autocorrelation functions.

Simulation results show strong agreement with experimental data.

Provides insights into single-electron and single-photon processes in semiconductors.

Abstract

Low-power, high-speed and bright electrically driven true single-photon sources, which are able to operate at room temperature, are vital for the practical realization of quantum communication networks and optical quantum computations. Color centers in semiconductors are currently the best candidates, however, in spite of their intensive study in the past decade, the behavior of color centers in electrically controlled systems is poorly understood. Here we present a physical model and establish a theoretical approach to address single-photon emission dynamics of electrically pumped color centers, which interprets experimental results. We support our analysis with self-consistent numerical simulations of a single-photon emitting diode based on a single nitrogen-vacancy center in diamond and predict the second-order autocorrelation function and other emission characteristics. Our theoretical findings demonstrate remarkable agreement with the experimental results and pave the way to the understanding of single-electron/single-photon processes in semiconductors.