Date of Award

2019

Document Type

Open Access Master's Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Physics (MS)

Administrative Home Department

Department of Physics

Advisor 1

Jae Yong Suh

Committee Member 1

Miguel Levy

Committee Member 2

Christopher Middlebrook

Abstract

Nanodiamonds (ND) are an exciting topic of photonics research because of their controllable quantum optical behaviors. As a byproduct of their small size, they possess a relatively high surface to volume ratio, which in turn relates to their potential usefulness as carriers in biological applications. By using laser induced phase transformations to ultimately shrink the particles, a path toward bio-compatible quantum emitters is explored. Measured Raman scattering spectra clearly indicate that the reversible phase change of NDs occurs upon femto-second laser irradiations. ND with nitrogen vacancies can also be used as a stable room temperature quantum emitter. By coupling this fluorescent ND to plasmonic nanostructures, photoluminescence enhancement is demonstrated, increasing its viability for use. Furthermore, I will present the experimental technique, which measures the second-order correlation function that represents the output photon statistics

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