Accurate hyperfine tensors for solid state quantum applications: case of the NV center in diamond

Abstract

The decoherence of point defect qubits is often governed by the electron spin-nuclear spin hyperfine interaction that can be parameterized by using ab inito calculations in principle. So far most of the theoretical works have focused on the hyperfine interaction of the closest nuclear spins, while the accuracy of the predictions for distinct nuclear spins is barely discussed. Here we demonstrate for the case of the NV center in diamond that the absolute relative error of the computed hyperfine parameters can exceed 100% using an industry standards first-principles code. To overcome this issue, we implement an alternative method and report on significantly improved hyperfine values with $${{{{{{{\mathcal{O}}}}}}}}$$ (1%) relative mean error at all distances. The provided accurate hyperfine data for the NV center enables high-precision simulation of NV quantum nodes for quantum information processing and positioning of nuclear spins by comparing experimental and theoretical hyperfine data. Hyperfine interaction is the key term for utilizing individual nuclear spins in solids. This work introduces a method that yields high-accuracy hyperfine values for nuclear spins at arbitrary distances from addressable electron spins, such as the NV center in diamond.