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Optics Letters

High-resolution magnetic field imaging with a nitrogen-vacancy diamond sensor integrated with a photonic-crystal fiber

И. В. Федотов, Sean M. Blakley, Evgenii E. Serebryannikov, Philip Hemmer, Marlan O. Scully, Aleksei M. Zheltikov

Published Jan 22, 2016• 50 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We demonstrate high-resolution magnetic field imaging with a scanning fiber-optic probe which couples nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond to a high-numerical-aperture photonic-crystal fiber integrated with a two-wire microwave transmission line. Magnetic resonance excitation of NV centers driven by the microwave field is read out through optical interrogation through the photonic-crystal fiber to enable high-speed, high-sensitivity magnetic field imaging with sub 30 μm spatial resolution.

DOI
10.1364/ol.41.000472

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We demonstrate high-resolution magnetic field imaging with a scanning fiber-optic probe which couples nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond to a high-numerical-aperture photonic-crystal fiber integrated with a two-wire microwave transmission line. Magnetic resonance excitation of NV centers driven by the microwave field is read out through optical interrogation through the photonic-crystal fiber to enable high-speed, high-sensitivity magnetic field imaging with sub 30 μm spatial resolution.
The nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in diamond is a prime candidate for quantum sensing technologies. Here, we present a fully integrated and mechanically robust fiber-based endoscopic sensor with a tip diameter of 1.25 mm . On its tip, a direct laser-writing process is used to secure a diamond containing NV centers above the fiber’s core inside a polymer structure. Additionally, a metallic direct laser-written antenna structure next to the fiber facet allows efficient microwave manipulation of NV-center spins. The sensor achieves a shot-noise-limited magnetic-field sensitivity of 5.9 nT / Hz using a 15 − μ m -sized microdiamond at a microwave power of 50 mW and an optical power of 2.15 mW . Using lock-in techniques, we measure a sensitivity of 51.8 nT / Hz . Furthermore, we introduce a dual-fiber concept that enables, in combination with a direct laser-written structure, independent guiding of excitation and fluorescence light and thus reduces background autofluorescence. Moreover, controlled guiding of excitation light to the diamond while avoiding sample illumination may enable operation in light-sensitive environments such as biological tissue. While the demonstrated sensitivity is achieved using a single-fiber configuration, the dual-fiber approach provides a path toward integrating smaller diamonds, where autofluorescence would otherwise limit performance. We demonstrate the capability of vector magnetic-field measurements in the type of magnetic field used in state-of-the-art ultracold quantum gas experiments, opening a potential arena in which high resolution and high sensitivity are required.
A magnetic field sensor based on a fiber-optic integrated probe at the center of a nitrogen vacancy (NV) is proposed and demonstrated. Fiber optics are utilized to replace all conventional spatial optics while efficiently enabling laser excitation and fluorescence collection from diamond. Optical models were developed to study the fluorescence collection efficiency of diamond. The fiber-coupled probe was simulated and its efficiency was improved to 3.062% compared to the 0.607% fluorescence coupling efficiency of the fiber. The optical probe magnetic resonance (ODMR) phenomenon was successfully observed and significantly improved the magnetic field sensitivity to 5.3 nT/Hz1/2, which proved the feasibility and performance compared with the conventional confocal NV-centered magnetometer.
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Coupling NV-rich diamond with optical fibers opens the door to guiding quantum information via the NV center's spin state. While diamond-functionalized fiber sensors have shown excellent sensitivity to localized magnetic fields, their distributed sensing capabilities have been untapped. By embedding diamonds throughout the fiber's core, we create a sensor sensitive to magnetic fields along its entire length. This theoretically allows for distributed optical readout of small magnetic fields. However, challenges remain in pinpointing the source's location and understanding the performance of a sensor where the NV-center fluorescence is detected at a single endpoint, integrating signals from color centers in varying field and microwave conditions. We present a demonstration of distributed magnetic field sensing using a step-index fiber with NV-rich diamonds incorporated throughout the core. By collecting the NV fluorescence at the fiber's output and recording Optically Detected Magnetic Resonance (ODMR) spectra as the excitation source moves, we can map the magnetic field profile along the fiber, accurately locating the field source. This straightforward sensor design holds promise for applications such as magnetic field mapping of integrated circuits in photonics and spintronics.
We employ an optical fiber doped with randomly oriented fluorescent sub-micron diamonds and what we believe to be the novel zero-field resonance protocol to collect information on the localization and orientation of a magnetic-field source and its distribution. Many previous demonstrations of diamond-based magnetic field sensing achieved ultrahigh sensitivities down to the fT range warranted by manipulating spin states of the diamond nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers with externally applied radio or microwaves. The application of such oscillating fields is problematic in distributed magnetic-field measurements and may be incompatible with specific targets. Instead of relying on these approaches, we leveraged cross-relaxations of particular spin-state populations of the NV center under a magnetic field, thus observing zero-field resonances and making external radio frequency fields redundant. Combined with an optical fiber sensitive to the magnetic field along its entire length, remote sensing was realized that returned information on the spatial field distribution without using any moving mechanical elements in the detection system. Variation of the spatial parameters of the investigated field was achieved simply by controlling the current in a pair of induction coils easily integrable with optical fibers without limiting the fiber-specific functionality of the optical readout taking place at a fixed location at the optical fiber output. Lifting of the requirements related to the mechanical scanning of the fiber, the application of external fields, and the orientation of the NV centers against the measured field mark a very practical step forward in optically driven magnetic field sensing, not easily achievable with earlier implementations.
We present a technique that uses an ensemble of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond to image magnetic fields with high spatio-temporal resolution and sensitivity. A focused laser beam is raster-scanned using an acousto-optic deflector (AOD) and NV center fluorescence is read out with a single photodetector, enabling low-noise detection with high dynamic range. The method operates in a previously unexplored regime, quasi-continuous-wave optically detected magnetic resonance (qCW-ODMR). In this regime, NV centers experience short optical pump pulses for spin readout and repolarization -- analogous to pulsed ODMR -- while the microwave field continuously drives the spin transitions. We systematically characterize this regime and show that the spin response is governed by a tunable interplay between coherent evolution and relaxation, determined by the temporal spacing between pump laser pulses. Notably, the technique does not require precise microwave pulse control, thus simplifying experimental implementation. To demonstrate its capabilities, we image time-varying magnetic fields from a microwire with sub-millisecond temporal resolution. This approach enables flexible spatial sampling and, with our diamond, achieves nT/Hz\text{nT}/\sqrt{\text{Hz}}nT/Hz​-level per-pixel sensitivity, making it well suited for detecting weak, dynamic magnetic fields in biological and other complex systems.