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Thermodynamics of the optical pumping process in nitrogen-vacancy centers

Ivan Medina1,2,*, Sérgio R. Muniz1,†, Elisa I. Goettems1,3,‡, and Diogo O. Soares-Pinto1,§

  • *Contact author: ivan.medina@ifsc.usp.br
  • †Contact author: srmuniz@ifsc.usp.br
  • ‡Contact author: elisagtt@alumni.usp.br
  • §Contact author: dosp@ifsc.usp.br
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Phys. Rev. A 113, 052228 – Published 26 May, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/xmr7-yf1l

Abstract

The optical pumping process is a fundamental tool for quantum protocols using the electronic and nuclear spins in the nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center platform. In this work, we explore the process of electronic spin polarization through optical pumping from a thermodynamic perspective. We identify the sources of work and heat and show that the heat current is directly related to the experimentally accessible fluorescence of the NV center. We also show that the polarization of the electronic spin depends on the amount of energy that is provided to the system by the laser pump. Moreover, we study the von Neumann entropy change in the process. We demonstrate that the entropy can be separated into two contributions: one due to the heat produced and the other due to the energy provided by the laser, which is a consequence of the nonunitary nature of the pumping process. Finally, we show that increasing the power of the laser results in an increased entropy of the final state, which hinders the polarization efficiency.

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Phys. Rev. A 113, 052228– Published 26 May, 2026
  • Received 25 March 2025
  • Revised 30 March 2026
  • Accepted 7 April 2026
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI.

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