Study of single-photon emitters featured on APL cover
Sources for 2 eV and 4 eV emission in hexagonal BN have been identified
Hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), a two-dimensional (2D) material, has proven to be an excellent host for single-photon emitters (SPEs). However, the microscopic origin of these SPEs has been elusive. Using advanced simulation techniques, Mazena Mackoit-Sinkevičienė, Marek Maciaszek, Chris G. Van de Walle and A. Alkauskas identified a complex consisting of two carbon atoms as the source for the 2 eV emission. For the emission lines around 2 eV (620 nm), Mark Turiansky, Alkauskas, Lee Bassett, and Van de Walle identified boron dangling bonds as the most likely origin. They also found the presence of spin-dependent transitions through a so-called intersystem crossing, which would enable quantum computation and sensing.
