Quantum simulations of many-body physics using nuclear-spin qubits in diamond

Interacting nuclear spins in diamond are a promising new platform for simulating many-body physics phenomena, due to their naturally realised spin-spin interactions combined with high-fidelity control and selective readout. Recently, we demonstrated the 3D imaging of a cluster of 27 coupled nuclear spins using a nitrogen vacancy (NV) centre in diamond [1], as well as a fully connected 10-qubit register formed of 9 nuclear spins combined with the NV centre electron spin [2].

Building on these recent results, I will show how such a system might be used to simulate many-body physics phenomena. I will also present new methods that allow us to extend control over more nuclear spins towards this goal. By combining our precise knowledge of the nuclear spin environment with dynamic nuclear polarisation, dynamical decoupling and selective readout protocols, we can prepare, measure and isolate the dynamics of individual nuclear spins and subsets of spins within a large interacting cluster. These techniques open the door to the realisation of quantum simulations of many-body physics phenomena using nuclear spins in diamond.

[1] M. H. Abobeih et al. Nature, 576, 411-415 (2019)
[2] C. E. Bradley et al. Phys. Rev. X 9, 031045 (2019)