Automatic characterization of random nuclear spin baths in semiconductors

Spin-defects in semiconductors, such as nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond or divacancies in silicon carbide, are promising candidates for qubits, due to their optical controllability and relatively long coherence times. In most semiconductors the interaction of the central defect spin of the electron with isotopic nuclear spins is an important cause of decoherence. At present there are no techniques to characterize the local random nuclear spin baths automatically and efficiently in materials containing spin-defects, since direct experimental characterization is too time-consuming and labor-intensive for many samples [1]. However, using spin Hamiltonians with parameters derived from first principle calculations, one can efficiently simulate dynamical decoupling experiments for a given bath spin configuration [2]. In this way, one can augment, with simulated data, shorter dynamical decoupling experiments. We present numerical and data-driven methods to extract hyperfine components from short dynamical decoupling experiments, paving the way for automatic high-throughput characterization of defects in semiconductors and for their eventual manipulation to build nuclear memories.



[1] Npj Quantum Inf. 7(1), 1-9 (2021).

[2] Adv. Theory Simul. 2100253 (2021).