Optically detected magnetic resonance study of thermal effects due to absorbing environment around nitrogen-vacancy-nanodiamond powders

TL;DR

This study investigates how local heating from an absorbing environment affects the optically detected magnetic resonance of nitrogen-vacancy centers in nanodiamond powders, revealing significant temperature-induced shifts.

Contribution

It demonstrates the impact of environmental absorption on ODMR signals in NV-diamond powders and introduces a method to control local temperature effects via added absorptive materials.

Findings

Absorptive environment causes a measurable red shift in ODMR resonance.

Local temperature increases by 150-180 K due to environmental absorption.

Red shift correlates with laser power and environmental modifications.

Abstract

We implanted Fe$^+$ ions in nanodiamond (ND) powder containing negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy (NV-) centers and studied their Raman spectra and optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) in various applied magnetic fields with green light (532 nm) excitation. In Raman spectra, we observed a blue shift of the NV$^-$ peak associated with the conversion of the electronic sp$^3$ configuration to the disordered sp$^2$ one typical for the carbon/graphite structure. In the ODMR spectra, we observed a red shift of the resonance position caused by local heating by an absorptive environment that recovers after annealing. To reveal the red shift mechanism in ODMR, we created a controlled absorptive environment around ND by adding iron-based Fe$_2$O$_3$ and graphitic sp$^2$ powders to the ND suspension. This admixture caused a substantial increase in the observed shift proportional to the applied laser power, corresponding to an increase in the local temperature by 150-180 K. This surprisingly large shift is absent in non-irradiated NV-ND powders, is associated only with the modification of the local temperature by the absorptive environment of NV-NDs and can be studied using ODMR signals of NV$^-$.