UC Berkeley

Nitrogen-Vacancy (NV) centers in diamond have been established as exceptionally versatile probes for quantum technologies from sensing to simulation.Owing to the versatility of diamond fabrication, NVs can be integrated into probes with nanoscale resolution and superb sensitivity. However, because the diamond is host to many other types of defects, the local environment of the NV is unique for each NV, which poses challenges for any devices instrumenting NVs. This thesis contributes to the future of NV technologies along two essential directions. First, we work towards a more complete understanding of the local charge and strain environments of the NV. In addition to permitting the calibration of these effects for NV probes, we suggest potential uses for the local charges and strain that had previously been considered hindrances. Second, we develop new technologies for NV sensing and simulation. Our work integrating NVs into diamond anvil cells opens the door to detecting high pressure phenomena using the NVs as all-in-one sensors. Finally, our study of the coherence regimes of the local defect environment of the NV is a step towards versatile quantum simulation in dimensions lower than three.