Zero field optical study of phosphorus magnetic resonance in enriched silicon

Synopsis

Silicon-based qubits are one of the most promising technologies for the construction of a quantum computer. The nuclear spins of phosphorus donors in enriched silicon have the longest coherence times of any solid-state system. In this thesis, I examine the phosphorus in silicon system in the regime of “zero” magnetic field. Laser spectroscopy and magnetic resonance are used to characterize the phosphorus in silicon system in this environment. I show the system can be hyperpolarized and has ∼ 10 s coherence times. Additionally, the methods and apparatus developed for this study prove useful for the study of other similar but more exotic systems.