Spin-Mechanics with Nitrogen-Vacancy Centers and Trapped Particles

• Published in: Micromachines (Basel) Vol. 12; no. 6; p. 651
• Main Authors: Perdriat, Maxime, Pellet-Mary, Clément, Huillery, Paul, Rondin, Loïc, Hétet, Gabriel
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.06.2021; MDPI
• Subjects: Atomic physics; Atoms & subatomic particles; Condensed matter physics; Cooling; Diamonds; Electron spin; electronic spin resonance; Experiments; Low vacuum; Mechanical oscillators; Mechanical systems; Mechanics; micro-mechanical oscillators; Nanoparticles; Nitrogen; nitrogen-vacancy centers; Particle spin; Phase transitions; Physics; Playgrounds; Quantum mechanics; Radiation pressure; Review; Standard deviation; Trapped particles; Vacancies; Nitrogen-vacancy centres; Electric spin resonance; Micro-mechanical oscillators
• ISSN: 2072-666X; 2072-666X
• DOI: 10.3390/mi12060651

Controlling the motion of macroscopic oscillators in the quantum regime has been the subject of intense research in recent decades. In this direction, opto-mechanical systems, where the motion of micro-objects is strongly coupled with laser light radiation pressure, have had tremendous success. In particular, the motion of levitating objects can be manipulated at the quantum level thanks to their very high isolation from the environment under ultra-low vacuum conditions. To enter the quantum regime, schemes using single long-lived atomic spins, such as the electronic spin of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond, coupled with levitating mechanical oscillators have been proposed. At the single spin level, they offer the formidable prospect of transferring the spins’ inherent quantum nature to the oscillators, with foreseeable far-reaching implications in quantum sensing and tests of quantum mechanics. Adding the spin degrees of freedom to the experimentalists’ toolbox would enable access to a very rich playground at the crossroads between condensed matter and atomic physics. We review recent experimental work in the field of spin-mechanics that employ the interaction between trapped particles and electronic spins in the solid state and discuss the challenges ahead. Our focus is on the theoretical background close to the current experiments, as well as on the experimental limits, that, once overcome, will enable these systems to unleash their full potential.