25-nm diamond crystals hosting single NV color centers sorted by photon-correlation near-field microscopy

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that 25-nm diamond nanocrystals can host single NV color centers with stable, bright photoluminescence, advancing near-field optical applications.

Contribution

It shows that nanodiamonds as small as 25 nm can contain single NV centers suitable for high-resolution near-field microscopy.

Findings

Nanodiamonds of 25 nm size can host single NV centers.

Single NV centers exhibit bright and stable photoluminescence.

Photon-correlation microscopy confirms the presence of single NV centers.

Abstract

Diamond nanocrystals containing highly photoluminescent color centers are attractive non-classical and near-field light sources. For near-field applications the size of the nanocrystal is crucial since it defines the optical resolution. NV (Nitrogen-Vacancy) color centers are efficiently created by proton irradiation and annealing of a nanodiamond powder. Using near-field microscopy and photon statistics measurements, we show that nanodiamond with size down to 25 nm can hold a single NV color center with bright and stable photoluminescence.