Infrared absorption band and vibronic structure of the nitrogen-vacancy center in diamond

Abstract

Negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy (NV-) color centers in diamond have generated much interest for use in quantum technology. Despite the progress made in developing their applications, many questions about the basic properties of NV- centers remain unresolved. Understanding these properties can validate theoretical models of NV-, improve their use in applications, and support their development into competitive quantum devices. In particular, knowledge of the phonon modes of the 1A1 electronic state is key for understanding the optical pumping process. Using pump-probe spectroscopy, we measured the phonon sideband of the 1E→1A1 electronic transition in the NV- center. From this we calculated the 1E→1A1 one-phonon absorption spectrum and found it to differ from that of the 3E→3A2 transition, a result which is not anticipated by previous group-theoretical models of the NV- electronic states. We identified a high-energy 169-meV localized phonon mode of the 1A1 level. Show more