Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond have emerged as a robust room-temperature solid-state platform for weak magnetic field detection. Several NV-based magnetometers have been proposed in the past decades, but they still suffer from either low sensitivity or high power consumption. This is a challenge for sensors deployed in remote locations on Earth or in space that are not connected to the power grid. Although sunlight-driven quantum magnetometry, which does not rely on conventional energy sources, has been proposed as a possible solution, its sensitivity remains a limitation. Here, we present an impressive improvement in the sensitivity of the sunlight-driven NV-diamond quantum magnetometer. A crucial aspect of our approach involves leveraging the ground-state level anti-crossing properties of the NV centers, coupled with magnetic flux concentrators. This integration enables us to achieve a magnetic-field sensitivity of 26 pT/ in a laboratory environment and 49 pT/ when the magnetometer operates outdoors under sunlight. We also illustrate the promising potential of further improving the sensitivity to the subpicotesla level by using cutting-edge technologies. Furthermore, we reveal the capability of this quantum magnetometer as a receiver of extremely low-frequency magnetic signals and pave the way for communication applications. These advancements represent a significant leap toward attaining high-sensitivity and energy-efficient magnetic field sensing and expanding the range of possible applications for these environmentally sustainable quantum technologies.
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A sensitivity-enhanced sunlight-driven quantum magnetometer via level anti-crossing
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29 July 2024
Research Article|
August 01 2024
A sensitivity-enhanced sunlight-driven quantum magnetometer via level anti-crossing
Yunbin Zhu
;
Yunbin Zhu
(Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Methodology, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing)
1
CAS Key Laboratory of Microscale Magnetic Resonance and School of Physical Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China
, Hefei 230026, China
2
CAS Center for Excellence in Quantum Information and Quantum Physics, University of Science and Technology of China
, Hefei 230026, China
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Ke Jing
;
Ke Jing
(Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Methodology, Writing – review & editing)
1
CAS Key Laboratory of Microscale Magnetic Resonance and School of Physical Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China
, Hefei 230026, China
2
CAS Center for Excellence in Quantum Information and Quantum Physics, University of Science and Technology of China
, Hefei 230026, China
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Xing Rong
;
Xing Rong
(Conceptualization, Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, Methodology, Supervision, Writing – review & editing)
1
CAS Key Laboratory of Microscale Magnetic Resonance and School of Physical Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China
, Hefei 230026, China
2
CAS Center for Excellence in Quantum Information and Quantum Physics, University of Science and Technology of China
, Hefei 230026, China
3
Hefei National Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China
, Hefei 230088, China
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Yijin Xie
;
Yijin Xie
a)
(Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, Methodology, Supervision, Writing – review & editing)
1
CAS Key Laboratory of Microscale Magnetic Resonance and School of Physical Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China
, Hefei 230026, China
2
CAS Center for Excellence in Quantum Information and Quantum Physics, University of Science and Technology of China
, Hefei 230026, China
4
Institute of Quantum Sensing and School of Physics, Zhejiang University
, Hangzhou 310027, China
a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: [email protected]
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Jiangfeng Du
Jiangfeng Du
(Conceptualization, Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, Methodology, Supervision, Writing – review & editing)
1
CAS Key Laboratory of Microscale Magnetic Resonance and School of Physical Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China
, Hefei 230026, China
2
CAS Center for Excellence in Quantum Information and Quantum Physics, University of Science and Technology of China
, Hefei 230026, China
3
Hefei National Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China
, Hefei 230088, China
4
Institute of Quantum Sensing and School of Physics, Zhejiang University
, Hangzhou 310027, China
Search for other works by this author on:
a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: [email protected]
Appl. Phys. Lett. 125, 054002 (2024)
Article history
Received:
May 13 2024
Accepted:
July 14 2024
Citation
Yunbin Zhu, Ke Jing, Xing Rong, Yijin Xie, Jiangfeng Du; A sensitivity-enhanced sunlight-driven quantum magnetometer via level anti-crossing. Appl. Phys. Lett. 29 July 2024; 125 (5): 054002. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0218708
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