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Magnetometry for precision measurement using frequency-modulation microwave combined efficient photon-collection technique on an ensemble of nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond

MetadataDetails
Publication Date2018-01-04
JournalOptics Express
AuthorsZongmin Ma, Shaowen Zhang, Yueping Fu, Hua Yuan, Yun‐Bo Shi
InstitutionsNorth University of China, The University of Osaka
Citations55

Sensitivity of magnetometers that use color centers is limited by poor photon-collection and detection efficiency. In this paper, we present the details of a newly developed all-optical collection combined frequency-modulated microwave method. The proposed method achieves a high sensitivity in static magnetic-field detection both theoretically and experimentally. First, we demonstrate that this collection technique enables both a fluorescence collection as high as 40% and an efficient pump absorption. Subsequently, we exploit the optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) signal and quantitative magnetic detection of an ensemble of nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers, by applying a frequency-modulated (FM) microwave method followed by a lock-in technique on the resonance frequency point. Based on the results obtained using all-optical collection combined FM microwaves, we verified that the sensitivity of the magnetometer can achieve approximately 14 nT/√Hz at 1 Hz, using a discrete Fourier transform detection method experimentally. This method provides a compact and portable precision-sensor platform for measuring magnetic fields, and is of interest for fundamental studies in spintronics.