Robust Nuclear Spin Polarization via Ground-State Level Anti-Crossing of Boron Vacancy Defects in Hexagonal Boron Nitride

TL;DR

This paper introduces a robust method for nuclear spin polarization in boron vacancy defects in hexagonal boron nitride using ground-state level anti-crossing, enabling efficient control with lower laser power and direct optical readout.

Contribution

The study demonstrates the first use of ground-state level anti-crossing for nuclear spin polarization in h-BN defects, improving efficiency and experimental viability.

Findings

GSLAC-assisted polarization requires lower laser power than excited-state methods.

Direct optical readout of nuclear spins in V_B^- defects is achieved.

GSLAC is effective for precise nuclear spin control in h-BN.

Abstract

Nuclear spin polarization plays a crucial role in quantum information processing and quantum sensing. In this work, we demonstrate a robust and efficient method for nuclear spin polarization with boron vacancy ($\mathrm{V_B^-}$) defects in hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) using ground-state level anti-crossing (GSLAC). We show that GSLAC-assisted nuclear polarization can be achieved with significantly lower laser power than excited-state level anti-crossing, making the process experimentally more viable. Furthermore, we have demonstrated direct optical readout of nuclear spins for $\mathrm{V_B^-}$ in h-BN. Our findings suggest that GSLAC is a promising technique for the precise control and manipulation of nuclear spins in $\mathrm{V_B^-}$ defects in h-BN.