Technique - (1) Levitated diamond spin-mechanical coupling

Type: Experimental

Description: Coupling of NV-center ensemble electron spins in an electrically or optically levitated diamond to the mechanical (rotational/translational) degrees of freedom of the host particle, used for torque sensing and NMR.

Department(s)/lab(s): Physics (LPENS) | Diamond Color Centers Group (Hetet Lab) @ ENS Paris
Summary:

Hetet's group couples NV-center ensemble electron spins in electrically or optically levitated micro-diamonds to the mechanical (rotational and translational) degrees of freedom of the host particle, demonstrating spin-dependent torques strong enough to deflect a cantilever, spin-cooling of levitated motion, and NMR performed on a levitating microparticle. This complements the well-established line of NV-ensemble quantum sensing experiments (DEER, NMR, T1-relaxometry) that reach pT/sqrt(Hz)-class sensitivities, extending the toolbox toward mechanical and single-atom/single-spin readout.