Extending the coherence of spin defects in hBN enables advanced qubit control and quantum sensing

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Roberto Rizzato - , Technical University of Munich, University of Bari (Author)
  • Martin Schalk - , Technical University of Munich, Munich Center for Quantum Science and Technology (MCQST) (Author)
  • Stephan Mohr - , Technical University of Munich (Author)
  • Jens C. Hermann - , Technical University of Munich, Munich Center for Quantum Science and Technology (MCQST) (Author)
  • Joachim P. Leibold - , Technical University of Munich (Author)
  • Fleming Bruckmaier - , Technical University of Munich (Author)
  • Giovanna Salvitti - , Technical University of Munich, University of Bologna (Author)
  • Chenjiang Qian - , Technical University of Munich (Author)
  • Peirui Ji - , Technical University of Munich (Author)
  • Georgy V. Astakhov - , Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (Author)
  • Ulrich Kentsch - , Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (Author)
  • Manfred Helm - , Chair of Semiconductor Spectroscopy, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (Author)
  • Andreas V. Stier - , Technical University of Munich, Munich Center for Quantum Science and Technology (MCQST) (Author)
  • Jonathan J. Finley - , Technical University of Munich, Munich Center for Quantum Science and Technology (MCQST) (Author)
  • Dominik B. Bucher - , Technical University of Munich, Munich Center for Quantum Science and Technology (MCQST) (Author)

Abstract

Negatively-charged boron vacancy centers (VB−) in hexagonal Boron Nitride (hBN) are attracting increasing interest since they represent optically-addressable qubits in a van der Waals material. In particular, these spin defects have shown promise as sensors for temperature, pressure, and static magnetic fields. However, their short spin coherence time limits their scope for quantum technology. Here, we apply dynamical decoupling techniques to suppress magnetic noise and extend the spin coherence time by two orders of magnitude, approaching the fundamental T 1 relaxation limit. Based on this improvement, we demonstrate advanced spin control and a set of quantum sensing protocols to detect radiofrequency signals with sub-Hz resolution. The corresponding sensitivity is benchmarked against that of state-of-the-art NV-diamond quantum sensors. This work lays the foundation for nanoscale sensing using spin defects in an exfoliable material and opens a promising path to quantum sensors and quantum networks integrated into ultra-thin structures.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number5089
JournalNature communications
Volume14
Issue number1
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2023
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

PubMed 37607945