Impact of strain and dark states on spectroscopic measurements of silicon-vacancy centers in diamond

Negatively charged silicon-vacancy (SiV^-) centers in diamond are point defects within a diamond host matrix that absorb and emit visible light. These centers retain atom-like quantum coherence properties while simultaneously enjoying the benefits of being permanently fixed inside of a solid. As such, SiV^- centers have recently attracted attention as candidate material components in quantum networks and devices. In spite of this interest, many SiV^- center properties remain poorly understood. Here we report on a series of computational simulations aimed at developing a better understanding of strain effects within SiV^- center ensembles. Simulations were inspired by recent experimental results demonstrating that within a high-density sample of SiV^- centers, there exists a large population of centers that are not visible when probed using conventional photoluminescence (PL), and which have different coherence properties from the population of PL-emitting counterparts [1]. Results are expected to be relevant to devices in which an SiV^- center environment is intentionally modified.



[1] C. L. Smallwood, et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 126, 213601 (2021).