Optical Detection of a Single Nuclear Spin

We propose a method to optically detect the spin state of a 31-P nucleus embedded in a 28-Si matrix. The nuclear-electron hyperfine splitting of the 31-P neutral-donor ground state can be resolved via a direct frequency discrimination measurement of the 31-P bound exciton photoluminescence using single photon detectors. The measurement time is expected to be shorter than the lifetime of the nuclear spin at 4 K and 10 T.