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Optically Enhanced Electric Field Sensing Using Nitrogen-Vacancy Ensembles

MetadataDetails
Publication Date2021-08-13
JournalPhysical Review Applied
AuthorsMaxwell Block, Bryce Kobrin, Andrey Jarmola, Satcher Hsieh, Chong Zu
InstitutionsHelmholtz Institute Mainz, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Citations49
AnalysisFull AI Review Included

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Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond have shown promise as inherently\nlocalized electric-field sensors, capable of detecting individual charges with\nnanometer resolution. Working with NV ensembles, we demonstrate that a detailed\nunderstanding of the internal electric field environment enables enhanced\nsensitivity in the detection of external electric fields. We follow this logic\nalong two complementary paths. First, using excitation tuned near the NV’s\nzero-phonon line, we perform optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR)\nspectroscopy at cryogenic temperatures in order to precisely measure the NV\ncenter’s excited-state susceptibility to electric fields. In doing so, we\ndemonstrate that the characteristically observed contrast inversion arises from\nan interplay between spin-selective optical pumping and the NV centers’ local\ncharge distribution. Second, motivated by this understanding, we propose and\nanalyze a novel scheme for optically-enhanced electric-field sensing using NV\nensembles; we estimate that our approach should enable order of magnitude\nimprovements in the DC electric-field sensitivity.\n