Nuclear Spin Quantum Memory in Silicon Carbide

TL;DR

This paper proposes a driven, dissipative protocol for nuclear spin polarization in silicon carbide TM defects, enabling quantum state initialization and long-term storage, advancing quantum technology applications.

Contribution

It introduces a novel theoretical protocol for nuclear spin polarization in TM defects in SiC, facilitating quantum state control and storage.

Findings

Protocol achieves effective nuclear spin polarization

Enables initialization and long-term quantum state storage

Paves the way for all-optical quantum control in SiC

Abstract

Transition metal (TM) defects in silicon carbide (SiC) are a promising platform for applications in quantum technology. Some TM defects, e.g. vanadium, emit in one of the telecom bands, but the large ground state hyperfine manifold poses a problem for applications which require pure quantum states. We develop a driven, dissipative protocol to polarize the nuclear spin, based on a rigorous theoretical model of the defect. We further show that nuclear-spin polarization enables the use of well-known methods for initialization and long-time coherent storage of quantum states. The proposed nuclear-spin preparation protocol thus marks the first step towards an all-optically controlled integrated platform for quantum technology with TM defects in SiC.