High-purity single photons obtained with moderate-NA optics from SiV center in nanodiamonds on a bullseye antenna

Abstract

Coherent exchange of single photons is at the heart of applied quantum optics. The negatively-charged silicon vacancy center in diamond is among most promising sources for coherent single photons. Its large Debye-Waller factor, short lifetime and extraordinary spectral stability is unique in the field of solid-state single photon sources. However, the excitation and detection of individual centers requires high numerical aperture (NA) optics which, combined with the need for cryogenic temperatures, puts technical overhead on experimental realizations. Here, we investigate a hybrid quantum photonics platform based on silicon-vacancy center in nanodiamonds and metallic bullseye antenna to realize a coherent single-photon resource that operates efficiently down to low NA optics with an inherent resistance to misalignment.