Photophysics of quantum defects in layered materials

Spin defect-based quantum light sources hosted on the surface of the material in contrast to the defects buried within the bulk of the material is promising for quantum information science. Atom-thin van der Waals quantum materials are truly surfaces and they have unique chemical structures and novel electronic and optical properties. Creating such atomic defects and understanding their structure-property relationship will be transformative as the solid-state quantum defects with spin-optical properties are promising spin and photonic qubit candidates for room temperature operations. In this talk, I will first discuss the physics of spin defects in van der Waals materials including the design and characterization of the Hamiltonian involving mutual interactions of the defect and other degrees of freedom to fully understand the effect of defects on the quantum information devices. I will then discuss our recent work on fabrication and optical characterization of various spin defects in van der Waals Materials.