A Hybrid Jump-Diffusion Model for Coherent Optical Control of Quantum Emitters in hBN

TL;DR

This paper develops a hybrid stochastic model combining continuous and discrete spectral fluctuations to explain temperature-dependent spectral dynamics and coherence loss in quantum emitters in hBN, linking noise mechanisms to optical performance.

Contribution

It introduces a novel hybrid jump-diffusion framework that accurately models spectral diffusion and blinking in hBN quantum emitters, connecting stochastic detuning dynamics to coherence decay.

Findings

Model reproduces linewidth broadening and coherence degradation with temperature.

Identifies a critical temperature (~25.91K) for transition to overdamped dynamics.

Establishes a quantitative link between spectral noise and optical coherence loss.

Abstract

Hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) has emerged as a promising two-dimensional host for stable single-photon emission owing to its wide bandgap, high photostability, and compatibility with nanophotonic integration. We present a simulation-based study of temperature-dependent spectral dynamics and optical coherence in a mechanically decoupled quantum emitter in hBN. Employing a hybrid stochastic framework that combines Ornstein--Uhlenbeck detuning fluctuations with temperature-dependent, Gaussian-distributed discrete frequency jumps, motivated by experimentally observed spectral diffusion and blinking, we reproduce the measured evolution of inhomogeneous linewidth broadening and the progressive degradation of photon coherence across the relevant cryogenic range (5-30K). The model captures phonon-related spectral diffusion with a cubic temperature dependence and the onset of jump-like spectral instabilities at higher temperatures. By calibrating the hybrid diffusion, jump parameters to the experimentally measured full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the emission line and analyzing the second-order correlation function $g^{(2)}(\tau)$ under resonant driving, we establish a unified phenomenological description that links stochastic detuning dynamics to the decay of optical coherence in a resonantly driven emitter. Analysis of $g^{(2)}(\tau)$ under resonant driving reveals an additional dephasing rate $\gamma_{\mathrm{sd+j}}$ that rises monotonically with temperature and drive strength, leading to a predicted critical crossover to overdamped dynamics at $T_{\mathrm{crit}} \approx 25.91$~K. This hybrid framework provides a quantitative connection between accessible spectroscopic observables and the dominant noise mechanisms limiting coherent optical control in mechanically decoupled quantum emitters, exemplified in hBN and generalizable to similar emitters in other materials.