Intrinsic high-fidelity spin polarization of charged vacancies in hexagonal boron nitride

Abstract

The negatively charged boron vacancy (${\mathrm{V}}_{\mathrm{B}}^{-}$) in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) has garnered significant attention among defects in two-dimensional materials. This owes, in part, to its deterministic generation, well-characterized atomic structure, and optical polarizability at room temperature. We investigate the latter through extensive measurements probing both the ground and excited state polarization dynamics. We develop a semiclassical model based on these measurements that predicts a near-unity degree of spin polarization, surpassing other solid-state spin defects under ambient conditions. Building upon our model, we include the presence of nuclear spin degrees of freedom adjacent to the ${\mathrm{V}}_{\mathrm{B}}^{-}$ and perform a comprehensive set of Lindbladian numerics to investigate the hyperfine-induced polarization of the nuclear spins. Our simulations predict a number of important features that emerge as a function of magnetic field which are borne out by experiment.

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Cited by in corpus (5)

• Probing Stress and Magnetism at High Pressures with Two-Dimensional Quantum Sensors
• Magnetic-field dependent VB- spin decoherence in hexagonal boron nitrides: A first-principles study
• Systematic investigation of dynamic nuclear polarization with boron vacancy in hexagonal boron nitride
• Elucidating the Inter-system Crossing of the Nitrogen-Vacancy Center up to Megabar Pressures
• Intermediate Excited State Relaxation Dynamics of Boron Vacancy Spin Defects in Hexagonal Boron Nitride