Phonon-induced dephasing of chromium color centers in diamond

Abstract

We report on the coherence properties of single photons from chromium-based color centers in diamond. We use field-correlation and spectral line-shape measurements to reveal the interplay between slow spectral wandering and fast dephasing mechanisms as a function of temperature. The zero-phonon transition frequency and its linewidth follow a power-law dependence on temperature, which is consistent with direct electron-phonon coupling and phonon-modulated Coulomb coupling to nearby impurities, which are the predominant fast dephasing mechanisms for these centers. Further, the observed reduction in the quantum yield for photon emission as a function of temperature suggests the opening of addit..