Phys.org   April 28, 2021 An international team of researchers (USA – Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Finland, Singapore, Germany) has measured depth-resolved photoluminescence of nitrogen-vacancy (NV−) centers formed along the tracks of swift heavy ions (SHIs) in synthetic single crystal diamonds that had been doped with nitrogen during crystal growth. Analysis of the spectra showed that NV− centers are formed preferentially within regions where electronic stopping processes dominate and not at the end of the ion range where elastic collisions lead to the formation of vacancies and defects. Thermal annealing further increased NV yields after irradiation with SHIs preferentially in regions […]