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This research demonstrates a significant advancement in quantum sensing by achieving nuclear hyperpolarization of diamond particles using only optical pumping and magic angle spinning, eliminating the need for microwave irradiation. By mitigating NV center anisotropy through rapid sample rotation, the protocol enables high-efficiency polarization transfer at room temperature, paving the way for portable, high-resolution NMR applications without bulky microwave hardware.
Microwave-Free $^{13}$C Hyperpolarization of Diamond Particles Enabled by Magic Angle Spinning and NV Centers
arXiv:2609.07653v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: Nuclear hyperpolarization from optically pumped color centers in solids offers an alternative to conventional microwave-driven dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP). Diamond can host the nitrogen vacancy (NV) center, whose ground spin state can be readily polarized by light at room temperature, making diamond a candidate platform for nuclear hyperpolarization. We report $^{13}{\rm C}$ nuclear hyperpolarization in randomly oriented diamond particles with sizes ranging from 0.2 to 2 $\mu$m, both at natural $^{13}{\rm C}$ abundance (1.1 %) and at 20 % isotopic enrichment, at magnetic fields of 7.1 T and 9.4 T. The protocol combines optical illumination with magic angle spinning (MAS) and does not require microwave irradiation. By investigating the nuclear polarization as a function of the MAS frequency between 0 and 6 kHz at the magnetic field of 7.1 T, we find maximum light-induced polarization enhancements of $280$-fold for the isotopically enriched sample and $411$-fold for the natural abundance sample. Under continuous illumination, steady-state absolute $^{13}{\rm C}$ polarization levels above 0.1 % are reached. A model involving optical pumping of NV centers and spin dynamics near level anticrossings (LACs) in three-spin clusters formed by NV, a substitutional nitrogen (P1) and $^{13}{\rm C}$ is used to describe these findings. The protocol strongly mitigates the effect of the anisotropy of the NV spin Hamiltonian, allowing more than $99.9\%$ of NV orientations to participate in the polarization transfer process. These results represent a first step toward transferring nuclear polarization from diamond particles to external nuclei, with potential applications in sensitive and high-resolution NMR at room temperature.
Abstract:Nuclear hyperpolarization from optically pumped color centers in solids offers an alternative to conventional microwave-driven dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP). Diamond can host the nitrogen vacancy (NV) center, whose ground spin state can be readily polarized by light at room temperature, making diamond a candidate platform for nuclear hyperpolarization. We report $^{13}{\rm C}$ nuclear hyperpolarization in randomly oriented diamond particles with sizes ranging from 0.2 to 2 $\mu$m, both at natural $^{13}{\rm C}$ abundance (1.1 %) and at 20 % isotopic enrichment, at magnetic fields of 7.1 T and 9.4 T. The protocol combines optical illumination with magic angle spinning (MAS) and does not require microwave irradiation. By investigating the nuclear polarization as a function of the MAS frequency between 0 and 6 kHz at the magnetic field of 7.1 T, we find maximum light-induced polarization enhancements of $280$-fold for the isotopically enriched sample and $411$-fold for the natural abundance sample. Under continuous illumination, steady-state absolute $^{13}{\rm C}$ polarization levels above 0.1 % are reached. A model involving optical pumping of NV centers and spin dynamics near level anticrossings (LACs) in three-spin clusters formed by NV, a substitutional nitrogen (P1) and $^{13}{\rm C}$ is used to describe these findings. The protocol strongly mitigates the effect of the anisotropy of the NV spin Hamiltonian, allowing more than $99.9\%$ of NV orientations to participate in the polarization transfer process. These results represent a first step toward transferring nuclear polarization from diamond particles to external nuclei, with potential applications in sensitive and high-resolution NMR at room temperature.
Quantum Physics (quant-ph); Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci)
arXiv:2609.07653 [quant-ph]
(or arXiv:2609.07653v1 [quant-ph] for this version)
https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2609.07653 Focus to learn more arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite (pending registration)
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