Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 8, 2026
10:40
High Resolution Phonon-assisted Quasi-resonance Fluorescence Spectroscopy
Published on: June 28, 2016
8.0K
Stimulated emission from nitrogen-vacancy centres in diamond
Jan Jeske1, Desmond W M Lau2, Xavier Vidal3
1Chemical and Quantum Physics, School of Science, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria 3001, Australia.
Nature Communications
|January 28, 2017
Summary
Researchers demonstrate stimulated emission from nitrogen-vacancy (NV-) centers in diamond, paving the way for new tunable diamond lasers and ultra-precise NV- ensemble laser sensors.
Area of Science:
- Quantum Optics
- Solid-State Physics
- Materials Science
Background:
- Stimulated emission is crucial for laser operation, producing coherent photons.
- Nitrogen-vacancy (NV-) centers in diamond have been theoretically considered as laser media since the 1980s.
- Definitive experimental evidence for stimulated emission from NV- ensembles has been lacking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide theoretical and experimental evidence for stimulated emission from NV- centers.
- To investigate the transition from stimulated emission to photoionization.
- To explore the potential for NV- based diamond lasers.
Main Methods:
- Theoretical modeling of stimulated emission from NV- centers.
- Experimental investigation using light in the phonon sidebands around 700 nm.
- Wavelength-dependent studies to observe the transition to photoionization.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated theoretical and experimental evidence of stimulated emission from NV- centers in the phonon sidebands.
- Observed a transition from stimulated emission to photoionization as laser wavelength decreased from 700 to 620 nm.
- Showed that lasing at the zero-phonon line is suppressed by ionization.
Conclusions:
- The findings open possibilities for tunable diamond lasers utilizing NV- centers.
- This work enables a new generation of ultra-precise NV- ensemble laser sensors.
- Applications of NV- magnetometers can be extended from nanoscale sensors to ensemble laser systems.
Related Concept Videos
01:23Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Relaxation Processes
1.3K
In the absence of an external magnetic field, nuclear spin states are degenerate and randomly oriented. When a magnetic field is applied, the spins begin to precess and orient themselves along (lower energy) or against (higher energy) the direction of the field. At equilibrium, a slight excess population of spins exists in the lower energy state. Because the direction of the magnetic field is fixed as the z-axis, the precessing magnetic moments are randomly oriented around the z-axis.
1.3K
01:23Atomic Spectroscopy: Absorption, Emission, and Fluorescence
3.2K
Atomic spectroscopy is a vital tool in elemental analysis, both qualitatively and quantitatively. It can be broadly divided into optical spectroscopy, mass spectroscopy, and X-ray spectroscopy methods. The optical spectroscopic methods are atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), atomic emission spectroscopy (AES), and atomic fluorescence spectroscopy (AFS). The first step in all three methods is atomization, where the solid, liquid, or solution-phase samples are converted into gas-phase atoms and...
3.2K
01:14Photoluminescence: Applications
1.2K
Photoluminescence offers a wide range of applications due to its inherent sensitivity and selectivity. This technique allows for both direct and indirect analyses of the analyte. Direct quantitative analysis is possible when the analyte exhibits a favorable quantum yield for fluorescence or phosphorescence. However, an indirect analysis may be feasible if the analyte is not fluorescent or phosphorescent, or if the quantum yield is unfavorable. Indirect methods include reacting the analyte with...
1.2K
01:03Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Spin State Overview
2.1K
NMR-active nuclei have energy levels called 'spin states' that are associated with the orientations of their nuclear magnetic moments. In the absence of a magnetic field, the nuclear magnetic moments are randomly oriented, and the spin states are degenerate. When an external magnetic field is applied, the spin states have only 2 + 1 orientations available to them. A proton with = ½ has two available orientations. Similarly, for a quadrupolar nucleus with a nuclear spin value of one, the...
2.1K
01:06Nuclear Overhauser Enhancement (NOE)
1.5K
Irradiation of a spin-active nucleus causes an increase or decrease in the signal intensity of neighboring nuclei that are not necessarily chemically bonded or involved in J-coupling. This phenomenon, called the nuclear Overhauser enhancement (NOE), results from through-space interactions between the nuclear spins. The NOE effect decreases with increasing internuclear distance and is generally not observed beyond 4 angstroms. In NOE, dipole-dipole interactions between neighboring spin-active...
1.5K
01:25Deactivation Processes: Jablonski Diagram
2.0K
Luminescence, the emission of light by a substance that has absorbed energy, is a process that involves the interaction of molecules with light. The energy-level diagram, or Jablonski diagram, is a graphical representation of these interactions, illustrating the various states and transitions a molecule can undergo. In a typical Jablonski diagram, the lowest horizontal line represents the ground-state energy of the molecule, which is usually a singlet state. This state represents the energies...
2.0K