UC Irvine

This thesis explores the coherent control of diamond NV (nitrogen-vacancy) centers using chirped laser pulses. Diamond NV centers possess unique optical properties, making them promising candidates for quantum information processing and sensing. Chirped laser pulses offer a versatile approach to achieve efficient and robust control over NV center two-level systems. The thesis begins with a theoretical analysis of the optical dynamics of NV centers interacting with an electromagnetic field. It establishes the Maxwell-Bloch Equations and provides a set of differential equations that can be solved numerically via computer simulations. The effects of varying electric field intensity and detuning in a continuous wave case are simulated. Later, the interaction between the NV center and a gaussian pulse is calculated. The pulse is then chirped both linearly and quadratically and the different modes of control that can be achieved are shown along with the optimal case for the linear and quadratic chirp. Overall, this thesis establishes a foundation for exploring coherent control techniques with chirped laser pulses in diamond NV center systems that can also be applied to other two-level systems by changing the computational parameters. The results highlight the potential of chirped laser pulses for coherent control and provide insights for future experiments.