Amplified Sensitivity of Nitrogen-Vacancy Spins in Nanodiamonds using All-Optical Charge Readout

Abstract

Nanodiamonds containing nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers offer a versatile platform for sensing applications spanning from nanomagnetism to in-vivo monitoring of cellular processes. In many cases, however, weak optical signals and poor contrast demand long acquisition times that prevent the measurement of environmental dynamics. Here, we demonstrate the ability to perform fast, high-contrast optical measurements of charge distributions in ensembles of NV centers in nanodiamonds and use the technique to improve the spin readout signal-to-noise ratio through spin-to-charge conversion. A study of 38 nanodiamonds, each hosting 10-15 NV centers with an average diameter of 40 nm, uncovers complex, multiple-timescale dynamics due to radiative and non-radiative ionization and recombination processes. Nonetheless, the nanodiamonds universally exhibit charge-dependent photoluminescence contrasts and the potential for enhanced spin readout using spin-to-charge conversion. We use the technique to speed up a $T_1$ relaxometry measurement by a factor of five.

13 pages, 14 figures

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• High-fidelity single-shot readout of single electron spin in diamond with spin-to-charge conversion
• Charge State Dynamics During Excitation and Depletion of the Nitrogen Vacancy Center in Diamond
• Optical activation and detection of charge transport between individual color centers in room-temperature diamond
• Fiber-coupled Diamond Magnetometry with an Unshielded 30 pT/$\sqrt{\text{Hz}}$ Sensitivity
• All-optical cryogenic thermometry based on NV centers in nanodiamonds
• Template-Assisted Self Assembly of Fluorescent Nanodiamonds for Scalable Quantum Technologies
• All-Optical Nuclear Quantum Sensing using Nitrogen-Vacancy Centers in Diamond
• Selective measurement of charge dynamics in an ensemble of nitrogen-vacancy centers in nano- and bulk diamonds
• Improved quantum sensing with a single solid-state spin via spin-to-charge conversion
• Spin Measurements of NV Centers Coupled to a Photonic Crystal Cavity
• Spin readout via spin-to-charge conversion in bulk diamond nitrogen-vacancy ensembles
• Long-term spin state storage using ancilla charge memories
• High contrast quantum imaging with time-gated fluorescence detection
• Diamond Nitrogen-Vacancy Center Magnetometry: Advances and Challenges
• Finding the nitrogen-vacancy singlet manifold energy level using charge conversion pulse sequences
• Charge and Spin Dynamics and Destabilization of Shallow Nitrogen-Vacancy Centers under UV and Blue Excitation
• Wavelet-based Ramsey magnetometry enhancement of a single NV center in diamond
• On-chip microwave-spin-plasmon interface (MSPI)
• Real-Time Charge Initialization of Diamond Nitrogen-Vacancy Centers for Enhanced Spin Readout