Spectroscopy on single N-V defect centers in diamond:: tunneling of nitrogen atoms into vacancies and fluorescence spectra

Experiments on fluorescence excitation of single N-V defect centers in diamond are described in terms of double-well potential (DWP) model which incorporates the possibility of tunneling the nitrogen atom into the vacancy both in ground and excited electronic states of the center. Fluorescence and linear absorption spectra are calculated, DWPs parameter values for N-V centers are determined and manifestations of their variations due to local diamond lattice distortions in fluorescence spectra of various single N-V centers are studied. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.