Quantum Control and Characterization of NV Center Ensembles Using Keysight’s Quantum Control System

Nitrogen-Vacancy (NV) centers in diamond have become a cornerstone for quantum sensing, communication, and scalable quantum information processing, thanks to their unique spin properties, long coherence times at room temperature, and optical addressability. However, harnessing their full potential requires precise control and measurement capabilities. This presentation introduces the fundamentals of NV center qubits, highlighting their atomic-scale structure, spin dynamics, and the distinction between single and ensemble NV systems. We will explore the principles of NV center initialization, MW control, and readout, including optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) and advanced sensing modalities. The session will then focus on Keysight’s Quantum Control System (QCS), detailing its modular hardware architecture and flexible software development kit. Attendees will learn how QCS enables high-fidelity pulse sequencing, scalable experiment orchestration, and real-time data acquisition for NV center experiments. A practical overview of experiment setup, calibration, and execution will be provided, including demonstrations from the NV Center Experiment Library — covering ODMR spectroscopy, T1 relaxation, Rabi oscillations, Ramsey fringes, spin echo, and dynamical decoupling sequences. The presentation will conclude with a discussion of NV center characterization workflows and the role of QCS in accelerating quantum research and technology development. This session is ideal for researchers and engineers interested in quantum device characterization, quantum control systems, and the practical implementation of NV center-based experiments.