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arXiv · 1804.09061

Spin-Dependent Quantum Emission in Hexagonal Boron Nitride at Room Temperature

Abstract

Optically addressable spins associated with defects in wide-bandgap semiconductors are versatile platforms for quantum information processing and nanoscale sensing, where spin-dependent inter-system crossing (ISC) transitions facilitate optical spin initialization and readout. Recently, the van der Waals material hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) has emerged as a robust host for quantum emitters (QEs), but spin-related effects have yet to be observed. Here, we report room-temperature observations of strongly anisotropic photoluminescence (PL) patterns as a function of applied magnetic field for select QEs in h-BN. Field-dependent variations in the steady-state PL and photon emission statistics are consistent with an electronic model featuring a spin-dependent ISC between triplet and singlet manifolds, indicating that optically-addressable spin defects are present in h-BN $-$ a versatile two-dimensional material promising efficient photon extraction, atom-scale engineering, and the realization of spin-based quantum technologies using van der Waals heterostructures.

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BibTeXRIS

Annemarie L. Exarhos, David A. Hopper, Raj N. Patel, Marcus W. Doherty, Lee C. Bassett. 2018-04-24. Spin-Dependent Quantum Emission in Hexagonal Boron Nitride at Room Temperature. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-08185-8

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