title: Observation of the dynamic Jahn-Teller effect in the excited states of nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond.
abstract: The optical transition linewidth and emission polarization of single nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers are measured from 5 K to room temperature. Interexcited state population relaxation is shown to broaden the zero-phonon line and both the relaxation and linewidth are found to follow a T(5) dependence for T < 100 K. This dependence indicates that the dynamic Jahn-Teller effect is the dominant dephasing mechanism for the NV optical transitions at low temperatures.
authors.affiliation: Information and Quantum Systems Lab, Hewlett-Packard Laboratories, 1501 Page Mill Road, MS1123, Palo Alto, California 94304, USA. kai-mei.fu@hp.com
authors.forename: Kai-Mei C
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Santori
authors.forename: Paul E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Barclay
authors.forename: Lachlan J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Rogers
authors.forename: Neil B
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Manson
authors.forename: Raymond G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Beausoleil