Diamond-optic enhanced photon collection efficiency for sensing with nitrogen-vacancy centers

Area of Science:

• Quantum Sensing
• Optics
• Materials Science

Background:

• Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond are crucial for quantum sensing applications.
• Efficient collection of emitted fluorescence is key to improving sensor sensitivity.
• Current designs face limitations in maximizing fluorescence collection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel design for enhanced fluorescence collection from NV centers in diamond.
• To improve the sensitivity of optical readout-based quantum sensing measurements.
• To validate the design through experimental measurements and simulations.

Main Methods:

• Development of a new optical design for NV-diamond quantum sensors.
• Experimental measurement of collected fluorescence from oppositely faced emitting surfaces.
• Ray-tracing simulations to model and verify the optical design performance.

Main Results:

• A significant improvement in collected fluorescence was measured, by a factor of 3.8(1).
• The experimental results closely matched the predictions from ray-tracing simulations.
• The design effectively enhances the optical collection efficiency.

Conclusions:

• The presented design substantially increases fluorescence collection from NV centers.
• This improvement directly translates to enhanced shot-noise-limited sensitivity in quantum sensing.
• The design is applicable to sensing magnetic fields, electric fields, pressure, temperature, and rotations.