Coupling of single nitrogen-vacancy defect centers in diamond nanocrystals to optical antennas and photonic crystal cavities

We demonstrate the ability to modify the emission properties and enhance the interaction strength of single-photon emitters coupled to nanophotonic structures based on metals and dielectrics. Assembly of individual diamond nanocrystals, metal nanoparticles, and photonic crystal cavities to meta-structures is introduced. Experiments concerning controlled coupling of single defect centers in nanodiamonds to optical nanoantennas made of gold bowtie structures are reviewed. By placing one and the same emitter at various locations with high precision, a map of decay rate enhancements was obtained. Furthermore, we demonstrate the formation of a hybrid cavity quantum electrodynamics system in which a single defect center is coupled to a single mode of a gallium phosphite photonic crystal cavity.