Surface adsorbates suppress low-frequency noise for shallow nitrogen-vacancy centers

Zhiyang Yuan; David A Fehr; Kalliope Zervas; Sorawis Sangtawesin; Lila V. H Rodgers; Patryk Gumann; Michael E Flatte; Nathalie P de Leon

doi:10.48550/arxiv.2608.01478

Back

Surface adsorbates suppress low-frequency noise for shallow nitrogen-vacancy centers

Preprint

Open access

Surface adsorbates suppress low-frequency noise for shallow nitrogen-vacancy centers

Zhiyang Yuan, David A Fehr, Kalliope Zervas, Sorawis Sangtawesin, Lila V. H Rodgers, Patryk Gumann, Michael E Flatte and Nathalie P de Leon

arXiv

08/02/2026

DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2608.01478

Files and links (1)

url

https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2608.01478View

Preprint (Author's original) This preprint has not been evaluated by subject experts through peer review. Preprints may undergo extensive changes and/or become peer-reviewed journal articles. Open Access

Abstract

Shallow nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond are promising nanoscale quantum sensors, yet their coherence is strongly limited by surface-induced noise. Surface adsorbates are widely believed to be a major source of decoherence. Here, we test this assumption by characterizing shallow single NV centers under ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) conditions, where the diamond surface is kept free of adsorbates, and comparing their behavior to ambient conditions. Surprisingly, we observe a 4x reduction in the Hahn echo coherence time T2 in UHV. By combining Hahn echo measurements in the single-quantum (SQ) and double-quantum (DQ) bases, we separate contributions from different noise sources and find that both electric and magnetic noise are enhanced in UHV. In contrast, T1 measurements reveal an increased DQ T1 in UHV, indicating suppressed electric field noise in the 100 MHz frequency regime. These results point to a modification of the surface noise spectrum upon adsorbate removal, with different frequency regimes arising from distinct microscopic mechanisms. Specifically, we find that the low frequency noise is consistent with increased surface charge in UHV that can be compensated by surface adsorbates in ambient conditions. Our findings highlight a complex and previously underappreciated role of surface adsorbates in shaping the noise environment of shallow NV centers, with important implications for nanoscale quantum sensing.

Physics - Materials Science

Physics - Quantum Physics

Details

Title: Subtitle: Surface adsorbates suppress low-frequency noise for shallow nitrogen-vacancy centers
Creators: Zhiyang Yuan - Princeton University
David A Fehr - University of Iowa
Kalliope Zervas - Princeton University
Sorawis Sangtawesin - Princeton University
Lila V. H Rodgers - Princeton University
Patryk Gumann - IBM Research - Thomas J. Watson Research Center
Michael E Flatte - University of Iowa
Nathalie P de Leon - Princeton University
Resource Type: Preprint
Publication Details: arXiv
DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2608.01478
ISSN: 2331-8422
Publisher: arXiv
Language: English
Date posted: 08/02/2026
Academic Unit: Electrical and Computer Engineering; Physics and Astronomy
Record Identifier: 9985217829102771

Metrics

1 Record Views