Enhancing the ODMR Signal of Organic Molecular Qubits

In quantum information science and sensing, electron spins are often purified into a specific polarisation through an optical-spin interface, a process known as optically-detected magnetic resonance (ODMR). Diamond-NV centres and transition metals are both excellent platforms for these so-called colour centres, while metal-free molecular analogues are also gaining popularity for their extended polarisation lifetimes, milder environmental impacts, and reduced costs. In our earlier attempt at designing such organic high-spin $π$-diradicals, we proposed to spin-polarise by shelving triplet $M_{S}=\pm1$ populations as singlets. This was recently verified by experiments albeit with low ODMR contrasts of $<1\%$ at temperatures above 5 K. In this work, we propose to improve the ODMR signal by moving singlet populations back into the triplet $M_{S}=0$ sublevel, designing a true carbon-based molecular analogue to the NV centre. Our proposal is based upon transition-orbital and group-theoretical analyses of beyond-nearest-neighbour spin-orbit couplings, which are further confirmed by ab initio calculations of a realistic trityl-based radical dimer. Microkinetic analyses point towards high ODMR contrasts of around $30\%$ under experimentally-feasible conditions, a stark improvement from previous works. Finally, in our quest towards ground-state optically-addressable molecular spin qubits, we exemplify how our symmetry-based design avoids Zeeman-induced singlet-triplet mixings, setting the scene for realising electron spin qubit gates.