{
  "abstract": "Optical interfaces that connect long-lived spin qubits to photons are a central requirement for quantum networking and distributed quantum information processing. At present, solid-state atomic defects are leading candidates because of their inherent spin and optical coherence1,2. Building on these advancements, synthetically tailored molecular systems represent a fundamental change in the field, using precise atomic control and consistent bottom-up assembly3,4. However, a molecular platform that concurrently satisfies the demands of a robust spin-photon interface-namely, the combination of bright fluorescence, high spectral stability and long ground-state spin lifetimes-has yet to be realized at the single-molecule level. Here we show that a triplet ground-state carbene molecule, embedded within a structurally matched host crystal, functions as a robust spin-photon interface with single-molecule addressability. The system exhibits narrow ZPLs, spectral stability over more than an hour, spin-selective optical transitions and single-molecule optically detected magnetic resonance. Coherent control yields millisecond-scale dynamical-decoupling coherence and tens-of-milliseconds spin relaxation at a temperature of 4.5 K. These results establish molecular qubits as a viable platform for single-emitter quantum optics5,6 while preserving the advantages of bottom-up chemical design⁷ and processable materials⁸⁻¹⁰.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Institute for Quantum Optics (IQO), Ulm University, Ulm, Germany",
    "NVision Quantum Technologies, Ulm, Germany",
    "Racah Institute of Physics, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel",
    "Center for Integrated Quantum Science and Technology (IQST), Ulm University, Ulm, Germany",
    "Institute of Theoretical Physics, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany",
    "NVision Quantum Technologies, Ulm, Germany. matthias@nvision-quantum.com",
    "NVision Quantum Technologies, Ulm, Germany. ilai@nvision-quantum.com"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 15,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Simon Roggors"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Thomas Unden",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-6095-8630"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Anna Aubele"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Paul Mentzel"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Gregor Bayer"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1,
        2
      ],
      "name": "Alon Salhov",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-9111-2400"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Jochen Scharpf"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3,
        4
      ],
      "name": "Martin Bodo Plenio",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-4238-8843"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Alex Retzker",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-7291-7120"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3,
        0
      ],
      "name": "Fedor Jelezko",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-5759-3917"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Tim R. Eichhorn"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Tobias A. Schaub",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-1208-1824"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5
      ],
      "name": "Matthias Pfender",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-3934-8306"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Philipp Neumann",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-2146-0412"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6
      ],
      "name": "Ilai Schwartz",
      "orcid": "0009-0001-5621-859X"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/1rjwed6ze6yap.bib",
  "cited_by": 5,
  "doi": "10.1038/s41586-026-11147-6",
  "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13716814",
  "id": "1rjwed6ze6yap",
  "issns": [
    "0028-0836",
    "1476-4687"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42951951",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Article"
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      "2505|Diamond and Carbon-based Materials Research"
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  "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13716814?pdf=render",
  "pmcid": "PMC13716814",
  "pmid": "42951951",
  "published": "2026-10-28",
  "publisher": "Nature Portfolio",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/1rjwed6ze6yap.ris",
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  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "chemistry",
      "origin": "openalex:2505|Diamond and Carbon-based Materials Research",
      "subfield": "materials-polymers"
    }
  ],
  "title": "A single-molecule spin-photon interface.",
  "title_text": "A single-molecule spin-photon interface.",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-09T13:21:23Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/1rjwed6ze6yap",
  "venue": "Nature",
  "versions": []
}