Enhanced Resolution in Nanoscale NMR via Quantum Sensing with Pulses of Finite Duration
At a Glance
Section titled “At a Glance”| Metadata | Details |
|---|---|
| Publication Date | 2017-05-15 |
| Journal | Physical Review Applied |
| Authors | J. E. Lang, J. Casanova, Z Y Wang, M. B. Plenio, T. S. Monteiro |
| Institutions | Universität Ulm, University College London |
| Citations | 21 |
Abstract
Section titled “Abstract”The nitrogen vacancy (NV) color center in diamond is an enormously important\nplatform for the development of quantum sensors, including for single spin and\nsingle molecule NMR. Detection of weak single-spin signals is greatly enhanced\nby repeated sequences of microwave pulses; in these dynamical decoupling (DD)\ntechniques, the key control parameters swept in the experiment are the time\nintervals, $\tau$, between pulses. Here we show that, in fact, the pulse\nduration offers a powerful additional control parameter. While previously, a\nnon-negligible pulse-width has been considered simply a source of experimental\nerror, here we elucidate the underlying quantum dynamics: we identify a\nlandscape of quantum-state crossings which are usually closed (inactive) but\nmay be controllably activated (opened) by adjusting the pulse-width from zero.\nWe identify these crossings with recently observed but unexpected dips (so\ncalled spurious dips) seen in the quantum coherence of the NV spin. With this\nnew understanding, both the position and strength of these sharp features may\nbe accurately controlled; they co-exist with the usual broader coherence dips\nof short-duration microwave pulses, but their sharpness allows for higher\nresolution spectroscopy with quantum diamond sensors, or their analogues.\n