Observation of period doubling and higher multiplicities in a driven single-spin system

Abstract

One of the prime features of quantum systems strongly driven by external time-periodic fields is the subharmonic response with integer multiples of the drive period $k{T}_d$ due to long-lived interference. Here, we demonstrate experimentally, based on a careful theoretical analysis, period doubling and higher multiplicities ($k=2,\dots 5$) for one of the most fundamental systems, namely, an individual spin $1/2$. Nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond support sufficiently stable coherent dynamics owing to long coherence times and allow for optical addressability of their spin states. This allows to monitor coherent period $k$-tupling oscillations over a broad set of driving parameters in the vicinity of the ideal manifolds. In this domain, superimposed low-frequency modulations serve as unique proxy for the approach toward period $k$-tupling.

References in corpus (6)

• High-sensitivity diamond magnetometer with nanoscale resolution
• Driven quantum transport on the nanoscale
• Dynamic polarization of single nuclear spins by optical pumping of NV color centers in diamond at room temperature
• Spin dynamics in the optical cycle of single nitrogen-vacancy centres in diamond
• Spin dynamics of diamond nitrogen-vacancy centres at the ground state level anti-crossing and all-optical low frequency magnetic field sensing
• Sensing with discrete time crystals