The atomic configuration of colour centres determines several optical properties and even their interaction with the environment. Considering these aspects is crucial for the implementation of single emitters in large bandgap materials and molecules in quantum technologies.

In this presentation I will discuss about the inner structure of defects such as the nitrogen-vacancy centre in diamond and the molecule vanadium oxide phthalocyanine (VOPc) and how it determines their optical properties and interaction with phonons. VOPc is an organic molecule with sub nanoseconds excited state lifetime and presents a large emission intensity under red excitation. At the single molecular level, it shows a clear response to the polarization of optical excitation which allows to unravel details of its internal structure and interaction with vibrations. We will also discuss about the interaction between colour centres and phonons through examples to illustrate how it affects important properties such as the optical emission spectrum broadening.

These aspects can give insight for the engineering of defects for quantum photonics and quantum metrology. For the latter, we will also discuss their role in accessing electronic spins and their longitudinal relaxation.

Professor Jerónimo R. Maze

Jerónimo R. Maze is an industrial electrical engineer from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (2002) and earned his Ph.D. in Physics from Harvard University (2010). In May 2010 he joined the Institute of Physics at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile where he is an Associate Professor and Director of Research and Postgraduate studies. Professor Maze investigates at the interface between condensed matter and quantum optics. His research includes the study of nano systems where individual degrees of freedom such as the electric charge or spin can be accessed with high level of control to create novel applications in quantum metrology. His investigation involves the experimental exploration of nano systems such as individual molecules and trapped molecules in solids, and theoretical studies based on many body techniques and group theory to create novel sensors for material science, biology and the generation of opto-electronics devices.