Vanessa Huxter ultra-fast laser pulse was used to study the diamond within the physical changes that take place within one over one billion of a second.
From the United States assistant professor at the university of Arizona Vanessa Huxter led her team, using ultra high speed laser pulse energy was observed for the first time how to in the center of the containing nitrogen vacancy (NV) diamond internal activities. This new discovery will quantum computing and making a big push.
Diamond nitrogen space center, namely NV refers to a nitrogen atom in diamond crystal structure instead of two adjacent carbon atoms, and with the adjacent lattice point defects of the space form of nitrogen - space center features. The characteristics of the diamond scientists can produce unexpected superior performance and applied to a variety of advanced technology.
The results of the study, published in the journal nature physics, for researchers to further understand the diamond in quantum computing single atomic and molecular imaging technology has the characters of important help.
"Diamond which has a special optical and electronic properties", Huxter said, "we can make use of optical methods, such as laser operation on nitrogen vacancy defects and its application in computing, data storage, the molecular structure of the imaging and sensing technology.
British photographer Eadweard Muybridge has put forward the famous theory of "horse" movement (pictured below), a high speed camera technology first. The theory describes the horses in the running of high speed motion imaging process. Huxter hosted by the principle of ultra-fast laser pulse with the principle of "horse" movement is similar.
In order to laser pulse technology application in the field of quantum computing, the first thing to study to understand the basic characteristics of the laser pulse. Huxter's team is the first real-time study ultra-fast dynamics team in diamond crystal. Laser pulses in the system, the subject "vibration model" is very important, it determines the local environment of the system, and could be used in information processing.
To understand the technical concepts, the researchers first depicts the diamond crystal structure: a highly ordered arrangement and repeat 3 d lattice of carbon atoms. Carbon atoms of diamond structure, however, is not in accordance with the regular arrangement together, but the swing back and forth vibration, like a chain of moments of wear on fine wires. When nitrogen vacancy defects interrupt these uniform carbon lattice, vibration characteristic and changing, and operation control by laser pulse.
Experiment and use of the high-energy laser beam transmission through the diamond, the center of the laser pulse will nitrogen vacancy electronic impact to a higher energy level, the physics of the excited states. After a period of time, the electronic back to the ground state under the relaxation effect, and the energy dissipation to the surrounding.
The relaxation effect of electronic only one over one billion of a second, a very short duration; For the convenience to observe the effects of vibration on the system of super fast relaxation, Huxter's team used the ultra-fast laser pulse technology.
How energy is through the diamond crystal, how they affect the nitrogen vacancy near the center of vibration, figuring out on how to use these two laser pulse technology is very important. Previously, the technology has not been breached.
"This is the first time we have to directly observe the real-time vibration spectrum", Huxter said. The researchers used two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy has created a "map" of the two-dimensional correlation, convenient observation of the whole system is how to recover from excited state relaxation to the ground state.
With the size of the molecules, atoms, the energy through the whole process of diamond by ultra-fast imaging technology moderated, motivation, energy can be observed in the whole system through process and take photos for every detail; At the same time also can observe where energy input, where the output.
In the field of ultrafast spectroscopy, one over one billion of a second to say is one hundred years, Huxter played a metaphor. With the help of a laser pulse with femtosecond time resolution, namely one over one billion of one over one billion of a second, scientists to observe clearly the nitrogen room near the center of atomic vibrations. These vibrations in femtosecond with quantum coherence.
Currently, Huxter is exploring replace diamond crystals in atoms react to its original nature will change.
In Huxter experiment scheme, the diamond is like a transparent window, we can clearly observed in nitrogen vacancy defects, and scientists is completed using laser pulse energy absorption of nitrogen vacancy defect. (compiled from "Flawed diamonds, Gems for new technology")
