Undergraduate Research & Scholarships

Maria Simanovskaia L&S Sciences

Investigations of Side Bands in Optically Detected Magnetic Resonance Signals of Negatively Charged Nitrogen Vacancy Centers in Diamond

Negatively charged nitrogen vacancy centers (NV- centers) in diamond consist of a nitrogen atom next to a vacancy in the carbon lattice. With their small size, these color centers promise magnetometry (measurement of the magnetic field) with an unprecedented combination of sensitivity and spatial resolution. For this application, optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) signals must be thoroughly understood. We obtain ODMR signals by focusing 532 nm (green) laser light onto the sample, applying a scan of microwave frequencies by pressing a wire against the diamond surface, and measuring the red fluorescence. ODMR signals enable probing the energy level structure of the NV- centers, from which the external magnetic field can be calculated. My SURF project attempts to determine the origin of certain recently observed side bands in ODMR signals of NV- centers. This knowledge is important for understanding ODMR line shapes and for optimization of NV based devices.

Message To Sponsor

This opportunity to be completely focused on summer research not only gives me a great start on the project I plan to continue throughout the next year, it also permits me to gain valuable experience in the field I may want to spend the rest of my life investigating. I have worked with my research group part-time for a few semesters already, but this is my first time being completely emerged into my own project and into this research group. SURF is helping me experience experimental physics in a way Ive never known it before.