Wide bandwidth instantaneous radio frequency spectrum analyzer based on nitrogen vacancy centers in diamond

At a Glance

Metadata	Details
Publication Date	2015-01-01
Journal	Qucosa (Saxon State and University Library Dresden)
Authors	Mayeul Chipaux, Loïc Toraille, Christian Larat, L. Morvan, Sébastien Pezzagna
Institutions	Thales (France), Leipzig University
Citations	46

Abstract

We propose an original analog method to perform instantaneous and quantitative spectral analysis\nof microwave signals. An ensemble of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers held in a diamond plate is\npumped by a 532 nm laser. Its photoluminescence is imaged through an optical microscope and\nmonitored by a digital camera. An incoming microwave signal is converted into a microwave field\nin the area of the NV centers by a loop shaped antenna. The resonances induced by the magnetic\ncomponent of that field are detected through a decrease of the NV centers photoluminescence. A\nmagnetic field gradient induces a Zeeman shift of the resonances and transforms the frequency information\ninto spatial information, which allows for the simultaneous analysis of the microwave\nsignal in the entire frequency bandwidth of the device. The time dependent spectral analysis of an\namplitude modulated microwave signal is demonstrated over a bandwidth of 600 MHz, associated\nto a frequency resolution of 7MHz , and a refresh rate of 4 ms. With such integration time, a field\nof a few hundreds of lW can be detected. Since the optical properties of NV centers can be\nmaintained even in high magnetic field, we estimate that an optimized device could allow\nfrequency analysis in a range of 30 GHz, only limited by the amplitude of the magnetic field\ngradient. In addition, an increase of the NV centers quantity could lead both to an increase of the\nmicrowave sensitivity and to a decrease of the minimum refresh rate down to a few ls.

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