  Neutral silicon vacancy (SiV0) centers in diamond are promising candidates
for quantum network applications because of their exceptional optical
properties and spin coherence. However, the stabilization of SiV0 centers
requires careful Fermi level engineering of the diamond host material, making
further technological development challenging. Here, we show that SiV0 centers
can be efficiently stabilized by photoactivated itinerant carriers. Even in
this nonequilibrium configuration, the resulting SiV0 centers are stable enough
to allow for resonant optical excitation and optically detected magnetic
resonance. Our results pave the way for on-demand generation of SiV0 centers as
well as other emerging quantum defects in diamond.
