| Summary: | Since its conception three decades ago, quantum computation has evolved from a theoretical construct into a variety of different physical implementations. In many implementations, quantum optics is a familiar tool for manipulating or transporting quantum information. Even as some individual components of quantum photonics technologies have shifted from lab-based setups into commercial products, effort is being devoted to the creation of quantum networks that would link these components together to form scalable computation devices. Here, I investigate optical phonons in bulk diamond, a previously overlooked system, as a physical resource for the construction of these devices. In this thesis, I measured the coherence properties of the diamond phonon, implemented a quantum memory write-read protocol using far-detuned Raman scattering, and entangled the phonon modes from two spatially separated pieces of diamonds in an adaptation of the seminal quantum repeater protocol proposed by Duan, Lukin, Cirac and Zoller (DLCZ). All of these experiments were conducted at room temperature with no optical pumping, using ultrafast broadband pulses (sub 100fs) - this is made possible by the unique physical properties of bulk diamond. Quantum memories and the creation of entangled states are key ingredients towards a working quantum network. By demonstrating that diamond can be used as a bulk solid in ambient conditions to implement these complex quantum interactions, I show that bulk diamond is a credible candidate for the construction of robust integrated nanophotonics chips capable of operating at THz frequencies. The quantum dynamics demonstrated here encompasses the motion of r-1016 atoms, which is several orders of magnitudes larger than the excitations created in other systems. This manifestation of quantum features at room temperature, in a regime that is traditionally described classical physics, is of fundamental interest, and highlights the need for further studies into the transition between quantum and classical physics.
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