Nanoscale Sensing of Solid-State Samples with High Frequency Resolution

TL;DR

This paper introduces a quantum control protocol for NV centers that enhances nanoscale chemical shift detection in solid-state samples by mitigating environmental challenges.

Contribution

It presents a novel synchronization scheme of magnetic fields and control sequences to improve chemical shift detection at the nanoscale.

Findings

Enables detection of isotropic chemical shifts in solid-state environments.

Provides an analytical mapping linking spectra to control features and system parameters.

Mitigates anisotropy and dipole-dipole interactions for improved sensing.

Abstract

To meet the growing demand for nanoscale surface analysis, nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers offer a high-sensitivity alternative by leveraging their ability to operate in immediate proximity to the sample. In this work, we propose a quantum control protocol designed to overcome the inherent challenges of solid-state environments, specifically by mitigating anisotropy and strong dipole-dipole interactions to enable the detection of isotropic chemical shifts at the nanoscale. To achieve this, our scheme synchronizes a slowly rotating magnetic field with tailored RF decoupling and MW control of the NV sensors. We provide an analytical mapping that explicitly links the measured spectrum to the control sequence features and the underlying system parameters, enabling a straightforward characterization of the sample.