Quantum diamond microscope for dynamic imaging of magnetic fields
Jiashen Tang, Zechuan Yin, Connor Hart, John W. Blanchard, Jner Tzern Oon, Smriti Bhalerao, Jennifer M. Schloss, Matthew Turner, Ronald L. Walsworth
Abstract
Wide-field imaging of magnetic signals using ensembles of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond has garnered increasing interest due to its combination of micron-scale resolution, millimeter-scale field of view, and compatibility with diverse samples from across the physical and life sciences. Recently, wide-field NV magnetic imaging based on the Ramsey protocol has achieved uniform and enhanced sensitivity compared to conventional measurements. Here, we integrate the Ramsey-based protocol with spin-bath driving to extend the NV spin dephasing time and improve magnetic sensitivity. We also employ a high-speed camera to enable dynamic wide-field magnetic imaging. We benchmark the utility of this quantum diamond microscope (QDM) by imaging magnetic fields produced from a fabricated wire phantom. Over a 270 × 270 μm2 field of view, a median per-pixel magnetic sensitivity of 4.1(1) nT /Hz is realized with a spatial resolution ≲ 10 μm and sub-millisecond temporal resolution. Importantly, the spatial magnetic noise floor can be reduced to the picotesla scale by time-averaging and signal modulation, which enables imaging of a magnetic-field pattern with a peak-to-peak amplitude difference of about 300 pT. Finally, we discuss potential new applications of this dynamic QDM in studying biomineralization and electrically active cells.