Diamond magnetometer enhanced by ferrite flux concentrators
Magnetometers based on nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond are promising room-temperature, solid-state sensors. However, their reported sensitivity to magnetic fields at low frequencies (<1 kHz) is presently >10 pT s^{1/2}, precluding potential applications in medical imaging, geoscience, and navigation. Here we show that high-permeability magnetic flux concentrators, which collect magnetic flux from a larger area and concentrate it into the diamond sensor, can be used to improve the sensitivity of diamond magnetometers. By inserting an NV-doped diamond membrane between two ferrite cones in a bowtie configuration, we realize a ~250-fold increase of the magnetic field amplitude wi…
Magnetometry with Nitrogen-Vacancy Centers in Diamond
This chapter covers magnetic sensing with nitrogen-vacancy (NV) defect centers in diamond. The NV center fundamentals are introduced and NV optically detected magnetic resonance techniques for dc and ac magnetic sensing are summarized. After reviewing some successful sensing applications, the advantages for using NV magnetometry, as well as some ongoing challenges, are enumerated.
Diamond Magnetic Microscopy of Malarial Hemozoin Nanocrystals.
Magnetic microscopy of malarial hemozoin nanocrystals was performed using optically detected magnetic resonance imaging of near-surface diamond nitrogen-vacancy centers. Hemozoin crystals were extracted from $Plasmodium$-$falciparum$-infected human blood cells and studied alongside synthetic hemozoin crystals. The stray magnetic fields produced by individual crystals were imaged at room temperature as a function of applied field up to 350 mT. More than 100 nanocrystals were analyzed, revealing the distribution of their magnetic properties. Most crystals ($96\%$) exhibit a linear dependence of stray field magnitude on applied field, confirming hemozoin's paramagnetic nature. A volume magneti…
Optically detected magnetic resonances of nitrogen-vacancy ensembles inC13-enriched diamond
We present an experimental and theoretical study of the optically detected magnetic resonance signals for ensembles of negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in a $^{13}\mathrm{C}$ isotopically enriched single-crystal diamond. We observe four broad transition peaks with superimposed sharp features at zero magnetic field and study their dependence on an applied magnetic field. A theoretical model that reproduces all qualitative features of these spectra is developed. Understanding the magnetic-resonance spectra of NV centers in an isotopically enriched diamond is important for emerging applications in nuclear magnetic resonance.
Nuclear quadrupole resonance spectroscopy with a femtotesla diamond magnetometer
Sensitive Radio-Frequency (RF) magnetometers that can detect oscillating magnetic fields at the femtotesla level are needed for demanding applications such as Nuclear Quadrupole Resonance (NQR) spectroscopy. RF magnetometers based on Nitrogen-Vacancy (NV) centers in diamond have been predicted to offer femtotesla sensitivity, but published experiments have largely been limited to the picotesla level. Here, we demonstrate a femtotesla RF magnetometer based on an NV-doped diamond membrane inserted between two ferrite flux concentrators. The device operates in bias magnetic fields of 2-10 microtesla and provides a ~300-fold amplitude enhancement within the diamond for RF magnetic fields in the…
Optical polarization of nuclear ensembles in diamond
We report polarization of a dense nuclear-spin ensemble in diamond and its dependence on magnetic field and temperature. The polarization method is based on the transfer of electron spin polarization of negatively charged nitrogen vacancy color centers to the nuclear spins via the excited-state level anti-crossing of the center. We polarize 90% of the 14N nuclear spins within the NV centers, and 70% of the proximal 13C nuclear spins with hyperfine interaction strength of 13-14 MHz. Magnetic-field dependence of the polarization reveals sharp decrease in polarization at specific field values corresponding to cross-relaxation with substitutional nitrogen centers, while temperature dependence o…
Coherent population oscillations with nitrogen-vacancy color centers in diamond
We present results of our research on two-field (two-frequency) microwave spectroscopy in nitrogen-vacancy (NV-) color centers in a diamond. Both fields are tuned to transitions between the spin sublevels of the NV- ensemble in the 3A2 ground state (one field has a fixed frequency while the second one is scanned). Particular attention is focused on the case where two microwaves fields drive the same transition between two NV- ground state sublevels (ms=0 -> ms=+1). In this case, the observed spectra exhibit a complex narrow structure composed of three Lorentzian resonances positioned at the pump-field frequency. The resonance widths and amplitudes depend on the lifetimes of the levels in…
Two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy with a microfluidic diamond quantum sensor
Quantum sensors based on nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond have emerged as a promising detection modality for nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy owing to their micron-scale detection volume and non-inductive based detection. A remaining challenge is to realize sufficiently high spectral resolution and concentration sensitivity for multidimensional NMR analysis of picoliter sample volumes. Here, we address this challenge by spatially separating the polarization and detection phases of the experiment in a microfluidic platform. We realize a spectral resolution of 0.65 +/- 0.05 Hz, an order-of-magnitude improvement over previous diamond NMR studies. We use the platform to perform …
Solution nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy on a nanostructured diamond chip
We demonstrate nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy of picoliter-volume solutions with a nanostructured diamond chip. Using optical interferometric lithography, diamond surfaces were nanostructured with dense, high-aspect-ratio nanogratings, enhancing the surface area by more than a factor of 15 over mm^2 regions of the chip. The nanograting sidewalls were doped with nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers so that more than 10 million NV centers in a (25 micrometer)^2 laser spot are located close enough to the diamond surface (5 nm) to detect the NMR spectrum of 1 pL of fluid lying within adjacent nanograting grooves. The platform was used to perform 1H and 19F NMR spectroscopy at room tempe…