# High-sensitivity, spin-based electrometry with an ensemble of nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond

## TL;DR

This paper presents a highly sensitive, all-dielectric electric field sensor based on an ensemble of nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond, achieving shot-noise-limited detection under ambient conditions with high sensitivity and large dynamic range.

## Contribution

It introduces a novel spin-based electrometer using NV centers that is immune to temperature fluctuations and operates effectively at low frequencies and ambient conditions.

## Key findings

- Achieved shot-noise-limited sensitivity of ~1 V/cm/√Hz.
- Demonstrated immunity to temperature fluctuations due to symmetry in energy level shifts.
- Validated theoretical model of electric susceptibility with experimental data.

## Abstract

We demonstrate a spin-based, all-dielectric electrometer based on an ensemble of nitrogen-vacancy (NV$^-$) defects in diamond. An applied electric field causes energy level shifts symmetrically away from the NV$^-$'s degenerate triplet states via the Stark effect; this symmetry provides immunity to temperature fluctuations allowing for shot-noise-limited detection. Using an ensemble of NV$^-$s, we demonstrate shot-noise limited sensitivities approaching 1 V/cm/$\sqrt{\text{Hz}}$ under ambient conditions, at low frequencies ($<$10 Hz), and over a large dynamic range (20 dB). A theoretical model for the ensemble of NV$^-$s fits well with measurements of the ground-state electric susceptibility parameter, $\langle k_\perp\rangle$. Implications of spin-based, dielectric sensors for micron-scale electric-field sensing are discussed.