Quantum detection of quantum materials using NV center microscopy
Amir Yacoby, Harvard University
Physics conference 2021-09-30

Magnetic fields generated by spins and currents provide a unique window into the physics of correlated electron materials and devices. Proposed only ten years ago, electron spin-based magnetometry of nitrogen vacancy (NV) defects in diamond appears to be an exceptionally suitable platform for probing condensed matter systems. It can operate at cryogenic temperatures up to temperatures above room temperature, has a dynamic range from DC to GHz, and allows sensor-to-sample distances as small as a few nanometers. As such, NV magnetometry provides access to static and dynamic magnetic and electronic phenomena with spatial resolution at the nanoscale. While pioneering work focused on demonstrations of principle of its nanoscale imaging resolution and magnetic field sensitivity, experiments are now beginning to probe the correlated electron physics of magnets and superconductors and explore current distributions in low-dimensional materials. In this talk, I will review some of our recent work that uses NV central magnetometry to image skyrmions in thin magnetic films, measure the chemical spin potential in magnetic insulators, and image the hydrodynamic flow of electrons in materials in layers. Additionally, I will describe the use of NV centers in a new scattering platform that uses spin waves as a probing excitation.

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