Ramsey interferometry of nuclear spins in diamond using stimulated Raman adiabatic passage

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the first use of stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (STIRAP) in nuclear spins of diamond NV centers, enhancing quantum sensing capabilities through robust quantum state manipulation.

Contribution

It introduces a generalized Ramsey interferometry scheme using STIRAP pulses for nuclear spins in diamond, improving robustness and fidelity in quantum sensing applications.

Findings

STIRAP suppresses intermediate state occupation in nuclear spins.

The Ramsey scheme with STIRAP shows increased robustness to pulse variations.

Experimental results align well with theoretical predictions.

Abstract

We report the first experimental demonstration of stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (STIRAP) in nuclear-spin transitions of $^{14}$N within nitrogen-vacancy (NV) color centers in diamond. It is shown that the STIRAP technique suppresses the occupation of the intermediate state, which is a crucial factor for improvements in quantum sensing technology. Building on that advantage, we develop and implement a generalized version of the Ramsey interferometric scheme, employing half-STIRAP pulses to perform the necessary quantum-state manipulation with high fidelity. The enhanced robustness of the STIRAP-based Ramsey scheme to variations in the pulse parameters is experimentally demonstrated, showing good agreement with theoretical predictions. Our results pave the way for improving the long-term stability of diamond-based sensors, such as gyroscopes and frequency standards.