Journal article
Engineering spin coherence in core-shell diamond nanocrystals
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS, Vol.122(21), e2422542122
05/27/2025
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2422542122
PMCID: PMC12130875
PMID: 40397672
Abstract
Fluorescent diamond nanocrystals can host spin qubit sensors capable of probing the physical properties of biological systems with nanoscale spatial resolution. Sub-100 nm diamond nanosensors can readily be delivered into intact cells and even living organisms. However, applications beyond current proof-of-principle experiments require a substantial increase in sensitivity, which is limited by surface induced charge instability and electron-spin dephasing. In this work, we utilize engineered core-shell structures to achieve a drastic increase in qubit coherence times (
) from 1.1 to 35 μs in bare nanodiamonds to upward of 52 to 87 μs. We use electron-paramagnetic-resonance results to present a band bending model and connect silica encapsulation to the removal of deleterious mid-gap surface states that are negatively affecting the qubit's spin properties. Combined with a 1.9-fold increase in particle luminescence these advances correspond to up to two-order-of-magnitude reduction in integration time. Probing qubit dynamics at a single particle level further reveals that the noise characteristics fundamentally change from a bath with spins that rearrange their spatial configuration during the course of an experiment to a more dilute static bath. The observed results shed light on the underlying mechanisms governing fluorescence and spin properties in diamond nanocrystals and offer an effective noise mitigation strategy based on engineered core-shell structures.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Engineering spin coherence in core-shell diamond nanocrystals
- Creators
- Uri Zvi - University of ChicagoDenis R Candido - University of IowaAdam M Weiss - University of ChicagoAidan R Jones - University of ChicagoLingjie Chen - University of ChicagoIryna Golovina - University of PennsylvaniaXiaofei Yu - University of ChicagoStella Wang - University of ChicagoDmitri V Talapin - University of ChicagoMichael E Flatté - University of IowaAaron P Esser-Kahn - University of ChicagoPeter C Maurer - University of Chicago
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS, Vol.122(21), e2422542122
- DOI
- 10.1073/pnas.2422542122
- PMID
- 40397672
- PMCID
- PMC12130875
- NLM abbreviation
- Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
- ISSN
- 1091-6490
- eISSN
- 1091-6490
- Publisher
- National Academy of Sciences
- Grant note
- OMA-1936118 / National Science Foundation (NSF) DE-AC02-06CH11357 / U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) OMA- 2121044 / National Science Foundation (NSF) DMR-2019444 / U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) DE-SC0021314 / U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 05/27/2025
- Academic Unit
- Electrical and Computer Engineering; Physics and Astronomy
- Record Identifier
- 9984824296202771
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