How University of Basel Researchers Resolve NV-Center Depth with NMR

University of Basel researchers have developed a new method for pinpointing the depth of shallow nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond, utilizing the 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signal of immersion oil. The team’s approach addresses limitations inherent in the commonly used XY8 dynamical decoupling sequence, which is vulnerable to inaccuracies stemming from interference from nearby spins due to its reliance on finite-width pulses. Instead, the researchers employ Spin-Lock NMR, leveraging the Hartmann, Hahn resonance to probe the 1H NMR signal and achieve substantially higher instrument-limited spectral resolution. The researchers derive a quantitative Spin-Lock NMR fit function from a Markovian master equation that…