Progress towards room temperature quantum computation based on NV centers in diamond

We report on recent progress towards the implementation of fundamental building blocks of a room temperature quantum computer based on an array of nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers in diamond. ~We use the nitrogen nuclear spin as a quantum memory due to its long coherence time, and the electronic spin of the NV center for manipulation and efficient read out of the qubit [Jiang, Science]. Coupling between individual NV centers, separated by $\sim $20nm, is provided by magnetic dipole-dipole interaction. Individual addressing is accomplished via a combination of magnetic field gradients and far-field sub-wavelength optical manipulation. Techniques for parallel manipulation of multiple NV centers will be discussed.