Microwave-Free Vector Magnetometry with Nitrogen-Vacancy Centers along a Single Axis in Diamond
Huijie Zheng, Zhiyin Sun, Georgios Chatzidrosos, Chen Zhang, Kazuo Nakamura, Hitoshi Sumiya, Takeshi Ohshima, Junichi Isoya, Jörg Wrachtrup, Arne Wickenbrock, Dmitry Budker
Abstract
Sensing vector magnetic fields is important to many applications in fundamental physics, bioimaging, and materials science. Sensors exploiting nitrogen-vacancy (N-$V$) centers typically interrogate N-$V$ ensembles oriented in all directions, thwarting nanoscale spatial resolution. Utilizing the level anticrossing in the triplet ground state, the authors demonstrate a $m\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}i\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}c\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}r\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}o\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}w\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}a\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}v\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}e\ensuremath{-}f\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}r\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}e\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}e$ vector magnetometer that simultaneously measures all Cartesian components of the field, offering wide-band operation and high, equal sensitivity in all directions. This technique may work for single N-$V$ centers as well as ensembles, extending vector measurements to the nanoscale, at ambient temperatures.