Multifunctional scanning microscopy with quantum spins in diamond - William Huxter

Quantum sensing based on nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers in diamond is an established technique for imaging nanoscale magnetic materials. Magnetic fields are sensed by measuring the spin resonance of a single NV center at the apex of a scanning probe. Here, I will present recent developments in improving and expanding the scanning NV toolbox. This includes a detection scheme based on AC dynamical decoupling that extends the coherence time and improves sensitivity. This detection scheme enabled visualization of non-diffusive current flow in graphene. A variant of this detection method, based on DC-to-AC conversion, was used to image weak static fields, including those generated by antiferromagnetic atomic steps. Additionally, for the first time, we could image electric fields from ferroelectric materials and visualize their domain patterns. These demonstrations expand the scope of nanoscale phenomena accessible to scanning NV microscopy.