  Quantum computers have the potential to speed up certain problems that are
hard for classical computers. Hybrid systems, such as the nitrogen vacancy (NV)
center in diamond, are among the most promising systems to implement quantum
computing, provided the control of the different types of qubits can be
efficiently implemented. In the case of the NV center, the anisotropic
hyperfine interaction allows one to control the nuclear spins indirectly,
through gate operations targeting the electron spin, combined with free
precession. Here we demonstrate that this approach allows one to implement a
full quantum algorithm, using the example of Grover's quantum search in a
single NV center, whose electron is coupled to a carbon nuclear spin. The
results clearly demonstrate the advantage of the quantum algorithm over the
classical case.
