Magnetic and phonon-induced effects on the non-Markovian dynamics of a single solid-state defect

TL;DR

This paper investigates how magnetic fields and phonon interactions induce non-Markovian dynamics in a silicon-vacancy center in diamond, revealing conditions that enhance memory effects in solid-state quantum systems.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of how structured phonon environments and magnetic fields influence non-Markovian behavior in a single solid-state defect, combining numerical and theoretical approaches.

Findings

Magnetic fields significantly modulate non-Markovian effects.

Structured phonon environments can induce memory effects.

Temperature and phonon coupling strength impact the dynamics.

Abstract

The electron-phonon interaction is one of the most fundamental mechanisms in condensed matter physics. Phonons can induce memory effects in solid-state platforms when localized electronic states interact with lattice vibrations in non-unitary dynamical maps. In this work, we demonstrate how single-mode and structured phonon environments can give rise to non-Markovian dynamics of an individual negatively charged silicon-vacancy center in diamond. Using trace distance as a quantifier via numerical simulations and theoretical calculations, we identify the physical conditions for emerging and understanding non-Markovian behavior in diverse scenarios. Most importantly, we investigate the influence of magnetic fields (longitudinal and transverse), phonon couplings, Fock states, and temperature to understand how these factors influence memory effects in this solid-state device.