Photodynamics of quantum emitters in hexagonal boron nitride revealed by low temperature spectroscopy

Abstract: Quantum emitters in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) have recently emerged as promising bright single photon sources. In this letter we investigate in details their optical properties at cryogenic temperatures. In particular, we perform temperature resolved photoluminescence studies and measure photon coherence times from the hBN emitters. The obtained value of 81(1) ps translates to a width of $\sim$12 GHz which is higher than the Fourier transform limited value of $\sim$32 MHz. To account for the photodynamics of the emitter, we perform ultrafast spectral diffusion measurements that partially account for the coherence times. Our results provide important insight into the relaxation processes in quantum emitters in hBN which is mandatory to evaluate their applicability for quantum information processing.