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arXiv:2407.14483 · npj Quantum Information

Extending radiowave frequency detection range with dressed states of solid-state spin ensembles

Jens C. Hermann, Roberto Rizzato, Fleming Bruckmaier, Robin D. Allert, Aharon Blank, Dominik Bucher

Published Oct 26, 2024• 13 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Quantum sensors using solid-state spin defects excel in the detection of radiofrequency (RF) fields, serving various applications in communication, ranging, and sensing. For this purpose, pulsed dynamical decoupling (PDD) protocols are typically applied, which enhance sensitivity to RF signals. However, these methods are limited to frequencies of a few megahertz, which poses a challenge for sensing higher frequencies. We introduce an alternative approach based on a continuous dynamical decoupling (CDD) scheme involving dressed states of nitrogen vacancy (NV) ensemble spins driven within a microwave resonator. We compare the CDD methods to established PDD protocols and demonstrate the detection of RF signals up to ~85 MHz, about ten times the current limit imposed by the PDD approach under identical conditions. Implementing the CDD method in a heterodyne/synchronized protocol combines the high-frequency detection with high spectral resolution. This advancement extends to various domains requiring detection in the high frequency (HF) and very high frequency (VHF) ranges of the RF spectrum, including spin sensor-based magnetic resonance spectroscopy at high magnetic fields.

DOI
10.1038/s41534-024-00891-0

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Quantum sensors using solid-state spin defects excel in the detection of radiofrequency (RF) fields, serving various applications in communication, ranging, and sensing. For this purpose, pulsed dynamical decoupling (PDD) protocols are typically applied, which enhance sensitivity to RF signals. However, these methods are limited to frequencies of a few megahertz, which poses a challenge for sensing higher frequencies. We introduce an alternative approach based on a continuous dynamical decoupling (CDD) scheme involving dressed states of nitrogen vacancy (NV) ensemble spins driven within a microwave resonator. We compare the CDD methods to established PDD protocols and demonstrate the detection of RF signals up to ~85 MHz, about ten times the current limit imposed by the PDD approach under identical conditions. Implementing the CDD method in a heterodyne/synchronized protocol combines the high-frequency detection with high spectral resolution. This advancement extends to various domains requiring detection in the high frequency (HF) and very high frequency (VHF) ranges of the RF spectrum, including spin sensor-based magnetic resonance spectroscopy at high magnetic fields.
Abstract Quantum systems composed of solid-state electronic spins can be sensitive detectors of narrowband magnetic fields. A prominent example is the nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in diamond, which has been employed for magnetic spectroscopy with high spatial and spectral resolution. However, NV-diamond spectroscopy protocols are typically based on dynamical decoupling sequences, which are limited to low-frequency signals (≲ 20 MHz) due to the technical requirements on microwave (MW) pulses used to manipulate NV electronic spins. In this work, we experimentally demonstrate a high-resolution magnetic spectroscopy protocol that integrates a quantum frequency mixing (QFM) effect in a dense NV ensemble with coherently averaged synchronized readout (CASR) to provide both a wide range of signal frequency detection and sub-Hz spectral resolution. We assess the sensitivity of this QFM-CASR protocol across a frequency range of 10 MHz to 4 GHz. By measuring the spectra of multi-frequency signals near 0.6, 2.4 and 4 GHz, we demonstrate sub-Hz spectral resolution with a nT-scale noise floor for the target signal, and precise phase measurement with error <1°. Compared to state-of-the-art NV-diamond techniques for narrowband magnetic spectroscopy, the QFM-CASR protocol greatly extends the detectable frequency range, enabling applications in high-frequency radio frequency (RF) and MW signal microscopy and analysis, as well as tesla-scale nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy of small samples.
Quantum systems composed of solid-state electronic spins can be sensitive detectors of narrowband magnetic fields. A prominent example is the nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in diamond, which has been employed for magnetic spectroscopy with high spatial and spectral resolution. However, NV-diamond spectroscopy protocols are typically based on dynamical decoupling sequences, which are limited to low-frequency signals ( ≲ 20 MHz) due to the technical requirements on microwave (MW) pulses used to manipulate NV electronic spins. In this work, we experimentally demonstrate a high-resolution magnetic spectroscopy protocol that integrates a quantum frequency mixing (QFM) effect in a dense NV ensemble with coherently averaged synchronized readout (CASR) to provide both a wide range of signal frequency detection and sub-Hz spectral resolution. We assess the sensitivity of this QFM-CASR protocol across a frequency range of 10 MHz to 4 GHz. By measuring the spectra of multi-frequency signals near 0.6, 2.4 and 4 GHz, we demonstrate sub-Hz spectral resolution with a nT-scale noise floor for the target signal, and precise phase measurement with error < 1 ∘ . Compared to state-of-the-art NV-diamond techniques for high-resolution magnetic spectroscopy, the QFM-CASR protocol extends the signal frequency range by more than an order of magnitude, enabling applications in radio frequency (RF) and MW signal microscopy and analysis, as well as tesla-scale nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy of small samples.
Magnetic field fluctuations on nanometer length scales manifest in a diverse range of phenomena -- electron and spin dynamics in materials and devices, quantum many-body systems, and molecular chemistry. Measuring these phenomena requires sensors with a challenging combination of broad spectral bandwidth, high sensitivity, and nanoscale spatial resolution. Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers, atom-like quantum sensors in diamond, possess the requisite sensitivity and nanoscale sensing volume, but are typically limited in bandwidth by the practical speed of the applied quantum control sequence. Here, we overcome this limitation by exposing the NV qubit to a microwave dressing field during a dynamical decoupling sequence, which both amplifies and frequency-mixes target signals at arbitrary frequencies into the detection band of the dynamical decoupling protocol. We demonstrate this approach by using NV centers to detect both coherent and noisy nanoscale spin wave dynamics in a magnetic yttrium-iron-garnet (YIG) thin film over a broad frequency range. Our technique generalizes to other qubit platforms, providing a versatile framework for nanoscale spectroscopy across diverse physical and chemical systems.
Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond are promising quantum sensors for AC magnetic fields. However, conventional dynamical-decoupling-based magnetometry becomes technically demanding at high frequencies because of the requirement for increasingly short and high-power microwave pulses. This paper describes an AC magnetometry technique based on continuous-wave optically detected magnetic resonance (CW-ODMR) measurements, which enables the detection of signals in the hundred-MHz range. By applying a strong static magnetic field transverse to the NV axis, the energy separation between the relevant electron-spin states was tuned and resonantly coupled with the target radiofrequency (RF) magnetic field, thereby forming RF-dressed states. Unlike pulsed dynamical-decoupling schemes, this approach does not require high-power microwave pulse sequences. The key feature of our method is that the detectable frequency can be tuned by controlling the bias magnetic field strength. Using this methodology, we have experimentally achieved the frequency-tunable detection of AC magnetic fields from 14.4-632 MHz. The sensitivity was 0.558 uT/Hz^(0.5) at 14.4 MHz and 24.4 uT/Hz^(0.5) at 632 MHz. We characterized the field-dependent ODMR contrast and linewidth, and found that their degradation at large transverse fields is a important factor limiting the high-frequency sensitivity. These results establish a simple CW-ODMR approach for widely tunable RF magnetic-field sensing without high-power pulsed spin control.
The nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center is a promising candidate to realize practical quantum sensors with high sensitivity and high spatial resolution at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. In conventional high-frequency AC magnetometry with NV centers, the setup requires a pulse sequence with an appropriate time synchronization and strong microwave power. To avoid these practical difficulties, AC magnetometry using continuous-wave optically detected magnetic resonance (CW-ODMR) was recently demonstrated. That previous study utilized radio frequency (RF)-dressed states generated by the coherent interaction between the electron spin of the NV center and the RF wave. However, the drawback of this method is that the detectable frequency of the AC magnetic fields is fixed. Here, we propose and demonstrate frequency-tunable magnetic field sensing based on CW-ODMR. In the new sensing scheme, we obtain RF double-dressed states by irradiation with RF fields at two different frequencies. One creates the RF-dressed states and changes the frequency of the target AC field. The other is a target AC field that induces a change in the CW-ODMR spectrum by generating the RF double-dressed states through coherent interaction with the RF-dressed states. The sensitivity of our method is estimated to be comparable to or even higher than that of the conventional method based on the RF field with a single frequency. The estimated bandwidth is 7.5 MHz, higher than that of the conventional method using the RF-dressed states. Our frequency-tunable magnetic field sensor based on CW-ODMR paves the way for new applications in diamond devices.
Abstract Diamond quantum sensors are sensitive to weak microwave magnetic fields resonant to the spin transitions. However, the spectral resolution in such protocols is ultimately limited by the sensor lifetime. Here, we demonstrate a heterodyne detection method for microwaves (MW) leading to a lifetime independent spectral resolution in the GHz range. We reference the MW signal to a local oscillator by generating the initial superposition state from a coherent source. Experimentally, we achieve a spectral resolution below 1 Hz for a 4 GHz signal far below the sensor lifetime limit of kilohertz. Furthermore, we show control over the interaction of the MW-field with the two-level system by applying dressing fields, pulsed Mollow absorption and Floquet dynamics under strong longitudinal radio frequency drive. While pulsed Mollow absorption leads to improved sensitivity, the Floquet dynamics allow robust control, independent from the system’s resonance frequency. Our work is important for future studies in sensing weak microwave signals in a wide frequency range with high spectral resolution.