Measurable quantum geometric phase from a rotating single spin

Phys Rev Lett. 2012 Jun 15;108(24):240403. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.108.240403. Epub 2012 Jun 12.

Abstract

We demonstrate that the internal magnetic states of a single nitrogen-vacancy defect, within a rotating diamond crystal, acquire geometric phases. The geometric phase shift is manifest as a relative phase between components of a superposition of magnetic substates. We demonstrate that under reasonable experimental conditions a phase shift of up to four radians could be measured. Such a measurement of the accumulation of a geometric phase, due to macroscopic rotation, would be the first for a single atom-scale quantum system.