Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

Chinese Physics Letters

Rapid Measurement and Control of Nitrogen-Vacancy Center-Axial Orientation in Diamond Particles*

Guobin Chen, Yang Hui, Junci Sun, Wenhao He, Guanxiang Du

Published Nov 1, 2020• 6 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Determination and control of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers play an important role in sensing the vector field by using their quantum information. To measure orientation of NV centers in a diamond particle attached to a tapered fiber rapidly, we propose a new method to establish the direction cosine matrix between the lab frame and the NV body frame. In this method, only four groups of the ODMR spectrum peaks shift data need to be collected, and the magnetic field along ± Z and ± Y in the lab frame is applied in the meantime. We can also control any NV axis to rotate to the X, Y, Z axes in the lab frame according to the elements of this matrix. The demonstration of the DC and microwave magnetic field vector sensing is presented. Finally, the proposed method can help us to perform vector magnetic field sensing more conveniently and rapidly.

DOI
10.1088/0256-307x/37/11/114203

Related papers

Vector-magnetic-field sensing via multifrequency control of nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond

Sayaka Kitazawa, Yuichiro Matsuzaki, Soya Saijo +3 more

An ensemble of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond is an attractive device to detect small magnetic fields. In particular, by exploiting the fact that the NV center can be aligned along one of four different axes due to ${C}_{3\ensuremath{\nu}}$ symmetry, it is possible to extract information concerning vector magnetic fields. However, in the conventional scheme, low readout contrasts of the NV centers significantly decrease the sensitivity of the vector-magnetic-field sensing. Here, we propose a way to improve the sensitivity of the vector-magnetic-field sensing of the NV centers using multifrequency control. Since the Zeeman energy of the NV centers depends on the direction of the axis, we can independently control the four types of NV centers using microwave pulses with different frequencies. This allows us to use every NV center for the vector field detection in parallel, which effectively increases the readout contrast. Our results pave the way to realize a practical diamond-based vector field sensor.

arXiv:1706.04753•Physical Review A•Oct 26, 2017•37 citations

Orientation determination of nitrogen-vacancy center in diamond using a static magnetic field

Yangpeng Wang, Rujian Zhang, Yan Yang +3 more

Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in a bulk diamond are often employed to realize measurement of multiple physical quantities, which depends on orientation information of NV axis. We report a fast and effective method to determine the orientation of NV axis with the aid of a static magnetic field. By measuring the optically detected magnetic resonance spectra, we can precisely extract the polar angle information between the NV axis and the known magnetic field. Combining with the polar angle information of different kinds of NV centers, we employ the Nelder–Mead algorithm to get the optimal solution of the orientation of NV axis. This method is simple and efficient, and is easily applied in NV-based quantum sensing.

Chinese Physics B•Mar 3, 2023•4 citations

Vector dc magnetic-field sensing with a reference microwave field using perfectly aligned nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond

Takuya Isogawa, Yuichiro Matsuzaki, Junko Ishi‐Hayase

The measurement of vector magnetic fields with high sensitivity and spatial resolution is important for both fundamental science and engineering applications. In particular, magnetic-field sensing with nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond is a promising approach that can outperform existing methods. Recent studies have demonstrated vector dc magnetic-field sensing with perfectly aligned NV centers, which showed a higher readout contrast than NV centers having four equally distributed orientations. However, to estimate the azimuthal angle of the target magnetic field with respect to the NV axis in these previous approaches, it is necessary to apply a strong reference dc magnetic field, which can perturb the system to be measured. This is a crucial problem, especially when attempting to measure vector magnetic fields from materials that are sensitive to applied dc magnetic fields. Here, we propose a method to measure vector dc magnetic fields using perfectly aligned NV centers without reference dc magnetic fields. This method can be performed even with a single NV center. More specifically, we use the direction of linearly polarized microwave fields to induce Rabi oscillation as a reference and we estimate the azimuthal angle of the target fields from the Rabi frequency. We further demonstrate the potential of our method to improve sensitivity by using entangled states to overcome the standard quantum limit. Our method of using a reference microwave field is an alternative technique for sensitive vector dc magnetic-field sensing.

arXiv:2112.00506•Physical Review A•Jun 29, 2023•10 citations

Visualized Axial Localization of Nitrogen-Vacancy Center in Bulk Diamond Assisted by Radially Polarized Beam

Yi Zhu, Yangpeng Wang, Die Fang +6 more

Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in bulk diamond, as an excellent spin-based vector quantum sensor, require precise determination of the axis orientation information. Here, we efficiently visualize and completely determine the NV axis orientation in bulk diamond, assisted by a radially polarized beam. We observe the rotational asymmetric fluorescence pattern of NV centers in bulk diamond, which is quite different from that in nanodiamonds. Our theoretical calculations show this difference is mainly due to the fact that the ratio between the longitudinal and transverse electric field components of the focused radially polarized beam is greatly weakened in bulk diamond. This fluorescence pattern asymmetry can uniquely determine both the azimuth angle and the polar angle without degeneracy in bulk diamond. Then, we verify these theories in bulk diamond with different orientations and nanodiamonds. The experimental result is consistent with that of the traditional method by measuring a series of optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) spectra, and the error is less than 3.0 degrees. Our method can be easily extended to other solid-state spin systems and shows great potential in quantum sensing of vector magnetic fields and nanoscale dynamic processes.

ACS Photonics•Sep 29, 2024•1 citation

Demonstration of vector magnetic field sensing by simultaneous control of nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond using multi-frequency microwave pulses

Ken Yahata, Yuichiro Matsuzaki, Shiro Saito +2 more

An ensemble of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond is a fascinating candidate for realizing a sensitive magnetic field sensor. In particular, since the axes of the NV centers are distributed along four directions, a collection of measurement data from NV centers with different axes provides information on the vector components of a magnetic field. However, in the conventional approach, the low measurement contrast of NV centers limits the sensitivity of vector magnetic field sensing. Recently, to overcome this problem, multi-frequency control of the NV centers has been proposed. The key idea is that four types of NV centers with different axes are simultaneously controlled by multi-frequency microwave pulses. Here, we demonstrate vector magnetic field sensing with an ensemble of NV centers in diamond via such multi-frequency control with pulsed-type measurements. We use Hahn echo pulses and extract information on the vector components of an applied AC magnetic field. We find that the sensitivity of the vector field sensing with multi-frequency control is better than that with single-frequency control for every vector component of a magnetic field.

arXiv:1811.03203•Applied Physics Letters•Jan 14, 2019•34 citations

Simultaneous Determination of Local Magnetic Fields and Sensor Orientation with Nitrogen-Vacancy Centers in Nanodiamond

Wang, Yizhou, Haochen Shen, Zhongyuan Liu +4 more

Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in nanodiamonds have emerged as a promising quantum sensing platform for biomedical imaging applications, yet random orientations of individual particles present significant challenges in large-scale sensor calibration. In this study, we demonstrate a novel approach to simultaneously determine each particle's crystallographic axes and the surrounding local vector magnetic field. Specifically, a minimum of four distinct bias fields is required to unambiguously extract both the orientation and the local field. We validate our method experimentally using NV centers in two scenarios: (1) in a bulk diamond with known crystal orientation as a proof of concept, and (2) on various single nanodiamonds to mimic real-world applications. Our work represents a crucial step towards unlocking the full potential of nanodiamonds for advanced applications such as in-situ biomedical imaging and nanoscale sensing in complex environments.

arXiv:2507.05366•Jul 7, 2025•0 citations
Determination and control of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers play an important role in sensing the vector field by using their quantum information. To measure orientation of NV centers in a diamond particle attached to a tapered fiber rapidly, we propose a new method to establish the direction cosine matrix between the lab frame and the NV body frame. In this method, only four groups of the ODMR spectrum peaks shift data need to be collected, and the magnetic field along ± Z and ± Y in the lab frame is applied in the meantime. We can also control any NV axis to rotate to the X, Y, Z axes in the lab frame according to the elements of this matrix. The demonstration of the DC and microwave magnetic field vector sensing is presented. Finally, the proposed method can help us to perform vector magnetic field sensing more conveniently and rapidly.
An ensemble of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond is an attractive device to detect small magnetic fields. In particular, by exploiting the fact that the NV center can be aligned along one of four different axes due to ${C}_{3\ensuremath{\nu}}$ symmetry, it is possible to extract information concerning vector magnetic fields. However, in the conventional scheme, low readout contrasts of the NV centers significantly decrease the sensitivity of the vector-magnetic-field sensing. Here, we propose a way to improve the sensitivity of the vector-magnetic-field sensing of the NV centers using multifrequency control. Since the Zeeman energy of the NV centers depends on the direction of the axis, we can independently control the four types of NV centers using microwave pulses with different frequencies. This allows us to use every NV center for the vector field detection in parallel, which effectively increases the readout contrast. Our results pave the way to realize a practical diamond-based vector field sensor.
Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in a bulk diamond are often employed to realize measurement of multiple physical quantities, which depends on orientation information of NV axis. We report a fast and effective method to determine the orientation of NV axis with the aid of a static magnetic field. By measuring the optically detected magnetic resonance spectra, we can precisely extract the polar angle information between the NV axis and the known magnetic field. Combining with the polar angle information of different kinds of NV centers, we employ the Nelder–Mead algorithm to get the optimal solution of the orientation of NV axis. This method is simple and efficient, and is easily applied in NV-based quantum sensing.
The measurement of vector magnetic fields with high sensitivity and spatial resolution is important for both fundamental science and engineering applications. In particular, magnetic-field sensing with nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond is a promising approach that can outperform existing methods. Recent studies have demonstrated vector dc magnetic-field sensing with perfectly aligned NV centers, which showed a higher readout contrast than NV centers having four equally distributed orientations. However, to estimate the azimuthal angle of the target magnetic field with respect to the NV axis in these previous approaches, it is necessary to apply a strong reference dc magnetic field, which can perturb the system to be measured. This is a crucial problem, especially when attempting to measure vector magnetic fields from materials that are sensitive to applied dc magnetic fields. Here, we propose a method to measure vector dc magnetic fields using perfectly aligned NV centers without reference dc magnetic fields. This method can be performed even with a single NV center. More specifically, we use the direction of linearly polarized microwave fields to induce Rabi oscillation as a reference and we estimate the azimuthal angle of the target fields from the Rabi frequency. We further demonstrate the potential of our method to improve sensitivity by using entangled states to overcome the standard quantum limit. Our method of using a reference microwave field is an alternative technique for sensitive vector dc magnetic-field sensing.
Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in bulk diamond, as an excellent spin-based vector quantum sensor, require precise determination of the axis orientation information. Here, we efficiently visualize and completely determine the NV axis orientation in bulk diamond, assisted by a radially polarized beam. We observe the rotational asymmetric fluorescence pattern of NV centers in bulk diamond, which is quite different from that in nanodiamonds. Our theoretical calculations show this difference is mainly due to the fact that the ratio between the longitudinal and transverse electric field components of the focused radially polarized beam is greatly weakened in bulk diamond. This fluorescence pattern asymmetry can uniquely determine both the azimuth angle and the polar angle without degeneracy in bulk diamond. Then, we verify these theories in bulk diamond with different orientations and nanodiamonds. The experimental result is consistent with that of the traditional method by measuring a series of optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) spectra, and the error is less than 3.0 degrees. Our method can be easily extended to other solid-state spin systems and shows great potential in quantum sensing of vector magnetic fields and nanoscale dynamic processes.
An ensemble of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond is a fascinating candidate for realizing a sensitive magnetic field sensor. In particular, since the axes of the NV centers are distributed along four directions, a collection of measurement data from NV centers with different axes provides information on the vector components of a magnetic field. However, in the conventional approach, the low measurement contrast of NV centers limits the sensitivity of vector magnetic field sensing. Recently, to overcome this problem, multi-frequency control of the NV centers has been proposed. The key idea is that four types of NV centers with different axes are simultaneously controlled by multi-frequency microwave pulses. Here, we demonstrate vector magnetic field sensing with an ensemble of NV centers in diamond via such multi-frequency control with pulsed-type measurements. We use Hahn echo pulses and extract information on the vector components of an applied AC magnetic field. We find that the sensitivity of the vector field sensing with multi-frequency control is better than that with single-frequency control for every vector component of a magnetic field.
Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in nanodiamonds have emerged as a promising quantum sensing platform for biomedical imaging applications, yet random orientations of individual particles present significant challenges in large-scale sensor calibration. In this study, we demonstrate a novel approach to simultaneously determine each particle's crystallographic axes and the surrounding local vector magnetic field. Specifically, a minimum of four distinct bias fields is required to unambiguously extract both the orientation and the local field. We validate our method experimentally using NV centers in two scenarios: (1) in a bulk diamond with known crystal orientation as a proof of concept, and (2) on various single nanodiamonds to mimic real-world applications. Our work represents a crucial step towards unlocking the full potential of nanodiamonds for advanced applications such as in-situ biomedical imaging and nanoscale sensing in complex environments.