Spin-controlled generation of indistinguishable and distinguishable photons from silicon vacancy centres in silicon carbide
Open Access
- 20 May 2020
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in Nature Communications
- Vol. 11 (1), 2516
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-16330-5
Abstract
Quantum systems combining indistinguishable photon generation and spin-based quantum information processing are essential for remote quantum applications and networking. However, identification of suitable systems in scalable platforms remains a challenge. Here, we investigate the silicon vacancy centre in silicon carbide and demonstrate controlled emission of indistinguishable and distinguishable photons via coherent spin manipulation. Using strong off-resonant excitation and collecting zero-phonon line photons, we show a two-photon interference contrast close to 90% in Hong-Ou-Mandel type experiments. Further, we exploit the system's intimate spin-photon relation to spin-control the colour and indistinguishability of consecutively emitted photons. Our results provide a deep insight into the system's spin-phonon-photon physics and underline the potential of the industrially compatible silicon carbide platform for measurement-based entanglement distribution and photonic cluster state generation. Additional coupling to quantum registers based on individual nuclear spins would further allow for high-level network-relevant quantum information processing, such as error correction and entanglement purification. Defects in silicon carbide can act as single photon sources that also have the benefit of a host material that is already used in electronic devices. Here the authors demonstrate that they can control the distinguishability of the emitted photons by changing the defect spin state.Other Versions
Funding Information
- Energimyndigheten (43611-1)
- Knut och Alice Wallenbergs Stiftelse (KAW 2018.0071, KAW 2018.0071)
- European Commission (QuanTELCO 862721, QuanTELCO 862721, QuanTELCO 862721, QuantERA Q-Magine 127889, QuantERA Nanospin 127902, ASTERIQS 820394, 765267, ASTERIQS 820394, QIA 820445, QIA 820445)
- Vetenskapsrådet (VR 2016-04068)
- MEXT | Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS KAKENHI 17H01056, JSPS KAKENHI 18H03770)
- Nemzeti Kutatási, Fejlesztési és Innovációs Hivatal (KKP129866, 2017-1.2.1-NKP-2017- 00001)
- Max-Planck-Gesellschaft
- Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (SPP 1601)
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