RUI: Coherent Spectroscopy of Defects in Solids

非技术描述钻石中的色心是指在透明晶体中吸收和发射光线的缺陷。除了有助于宝石的惊人视觉特征，如花哨的彩色钻石，这些中心-以及其他材料中的相关缺陷-为用作量子计算机和网络的硬件元件提供了巨大的希望。该项目旨在通过基于激光的测量来表征固体中缺陷的特性。该项目的成果包括发现了有关这些材料的信息，这些材料将被用来制造更有效的量子设备，从而增强美国在信息技术方面的国际竞争力。PI的研究团队由不同的本科生研究人员和硕士学生组成，他们在科学过程的每个阶段担任领导角色，发展劳动力技能和分析能力，以很好地适应21世纪经济的挑战和机遇。该项目的数据用于促进国际和平研究所的课堂教学和外展工作。技术描述近年来，固态材料的缺陷引起了人们的注意，因为它们相对较长的电子激发态寿命和相干特性使它们在与量子信息处理和量子计算相关的设备中具有潜在的用途。本项目旨在利用平衡光谱和时间分辨光谱工具来理解固体中缺陷态的相干光学性质，特别强调一种新的用于导电共线光学多维相干谱(MDCS)的干涉测量系统的构建和应用。所研究的材料体系包括：过渡金属二卤化物中的激子和局域态，金刚石中的硅空位(SIV)中心和4H-SiC中的硅空位(VSI)中心。科学目标包括提取缺陷态单个粒子的退相时间，测量粒子间的相互作用，提高对导致固体退相干现象的微观机制的理解，以及发现全新类型的缺陷态共振。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Nontechnical descriptionColor centers in diamond are defects that absorb and emit light in an otherwise transparent crystal. Besides contributing to the striking visual characteristics of gemstones like fancy colored diamonds, these centers—and related defects in other materials—offer great promise for use as hardware elements in quantum computers and networks. This project aims to characterize the properties of defects in solids using laser-based measurements. Outcomes of the project include the discovery of information about these materials that will be used to fabricate more effective quantum devices, thereby enhancing American international competitiveness in information technology. The PI’s research team comprises a diverse group of undergraduate researchers and master’s students who take on leading roles at every stage of the scientific process, developing workforce skills and analytical abilities that are well-suited to the challenges and opportunities of the 21st-century economy. Data from the project are used to facilitate classroom instruction and outreach efforts at the PI’s institution. Finally, the PI conducts additional outreach efforts with the local academic community, including community colleges, and with the public at large.Technical descriptionIn recent years, defects in solid-state materials have drawn attention because their relatively long electron excited-state lifetimes and coherence properties mark them as potentially useful in devices relevant to quantum information processing and quantum computation. This project is oriented toward understanding the coherent optical properties of defect states in solids using equilibrium and time-resolved spectroscopic tools, with a special emphasis on the construction and utilization of a novel interferometric measurement system for conducting collinear optical multidimensional coherent spectroscopy (MDCS). Material systems to be studied include Nd:YVO4, excitons and localized states in transition metal dichalcogenides, silicon-vacancy (SiV) centers in diamond, and silicon vacancy (VSi) centers in 4H-SiC. Scientific objectives include extracting defect-state single particle dephasing times, measuring interparticle interactions, developing an enhanced understanding of microscopic mechanisms leading to decoherence phenomena in solids, and discovering completely new types of defect state resonances.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.