Nickel Vacancy Centers in Diamond: A New Platform for Quantum Networking

Quantum technologies have the potential to transform how information is communicated, processed, and protected. Unlike today’s computers and communication systems, quantum networks can use the properties of quantum mechanics to enable new forms of secure communication, distributed sensing, and powerful networked quantum computing. However, building practical quantum networks remains extremely challenging because quantum signals are fragile and easily disrupted as they travel over long distances. This project seeks to develop a new platform that could make future quantum communication systems faster, more reliable, and easier to deploy outside the laboratory. The research focuses on tiny light-emitting defects in diamond that can act as stable quantum information carriers while interfacing seamlessly with existing fiber-optic infrastructure. By advancing both the underlying materials and device physics as well as the engineering needed to build practical devices, the project supports the national interest by promoting the progress of science in quantum information technologies and helping secure the national defense through advances in secure quantum communication and networking. The project will also contribute to workforce development by providing interdisciplinary training for undergraduate and graduate students and will engage the public through hands-on quantum science outreach activities. Technically, the research focuses on the nickel-vacancy (NiV) center in diamond, a recently discovered quantum defect that has the potential to combine efficient light emission, long-lived quantum states, and compatibility with existing fiber-optic telecommunications infrastructure. This project will develop methods to generate indistinguishable photons from spatially separated emitters through electrical frequency tuning, enabling remote quantum interference and entanglement generation needed for quantum network operation. The team will implement all-optical spin control protocols using Raman-based techniques and characterize spin coherence properties at liquid-helium temperatures without requiring costly dilution refrigeration. The project will further explore reconfigurable device architectures using switchable magnetic field geometries that allow quantum nodes to alternate between photon emission and control modalities. In parallel, the researchers will develop tailored synthetic diamond materials and novel fabrication strategies to improve charge stability, coherence, and photonic integration of NiV devices. These efforts combine quantum optics, condensed matter physics, nanofabrication, and advanced diamond growth in a co-design framework intended to accelerate the development of practical solid-state quantum networking technologies. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria. NSF Award ID: 2608129 | Program: 01002627DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT | Principal Investigator: Jonas Becker | Institution: Michigan State University, EAST LANSING, MI | Award Amount: $599,999 View on NSF Award Search: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/show-award/?AWD_ID=2608129 View on Research.gov: https://www.research.gov/awardapi-service/v1/awards/2608129.html