Fast optical modulation of the fluorescence from a single nitrogen–vacancy centre

Abstract

The much sought after optical transistor - the photonic counterpart of the electronic transistor - is poised to become a central ingredient in the development of optical signal processing. The motivation for using photons rather than electrons comes not only from their faster dynamics, but also from their lower crosstalk and robustness against environmental decoherence, which enable a high degree of integration and the realization of quantum operations 1 . A single-molecule transistor has recently been demonstrated at cryogenic temperatures 2 . Here, we demonstrate that a single nitrogen-vacancy centre at room temperature can operate as an optical switch under non-resonant continuous-wave illumination. We show an optical modulation of more than 80% and a time response faster than 100 ns in the green-laser-driven fluorescence signal, which we control through an independent near-infrared gating laser. Our study indicates that the near-infrared laser triggers a fast-decay channel of the nitrogen-vacancy mediated by promotion of the excited state to a dark band. © 2013 Macmillan Publishers Limited.