Methods for detecting a magnetic field acting on a magneto-optical detect center having pulsed excitation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10466312-B2
Application number	US-201715419832-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 30, 2017
Priority date	Jan 23, 2015
Publication date	Nov 5, 2019
Grant date	Nov 5, 2019

Abstract

A method for detecting a magnetic field acting on a nitrogen vacancy (NV) diamond material comprising a plurality of NV centers may include controlling an optical excitation source and an RF excitation source to apply a pulse sequence comprising two optical excitation pulses and two RF excitation pulses to the NV diamond material, receiving a light detection signal from an optical detector based on an optical signal emitted by the NV diamond material due to the pulse sequence, measuring a first value of the light detection signal at a first reference period, the first reference period being before a period of the light detection signal associated with the two RF excitation pulses provided to the NV diamond material, measuring a second value of the light detection signal at a second reference period, the second reference period being after the period of the light detection signal associated with the two RF excitation pulses provided to the NV diamond material, and computing a measurement signal based on the measured first and second values. Such method may further may further comprise measuring a third value of the light detection signal at a signal period, the signal period being after the first reference period and before the second reference period. Such method may further comprise computing the measurement signal based on a difference between the average of the first and second values and the third value.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for detecting a magnetic field acting on a magneto-optical defect center material comprising a plurality of magneto-optical defect centers, comprising:
controlling an optical excitation source and an RF excitation source to apply a pulse sequence comprising two optical excitation pulses and two RF excitation pulses to the magneto-optical defect center material;
receiving a light detection signal from an optical detector based on an optical signal emitted by the magneto-optical defect center material due to the pulse sequence;
measuring a first value of the light detection signal at a first reference period, the first reference period being before a period of the light detection signal associated with the two RF excitation pulses provided to the magneto-optical defect center material;
measuring a second value of the light detection signal at a second reference period, the second reference period being after the period of the light detection signal associated with the two RF excitation pulses provided to the magneto-optical defect center material;
computing a measurement signal based on the measured first and second values; and measuring a third value of the light detection signal at a signal period, the signal period being after the first reference period and before the second reference period.

2. A method for detecting a magnetic field acting on a magneto-optical defect center material comprising a plurality of magneto-optical defect centers, comprising:
controlling an optical excitation source and an RF excitation source to apply a pulse sequence comprising two optical excitation pulses and two RF excitation pulses to the magneto-optical defect center material;
receiving a light detection signal from an optical detector based on an optical signal emitted by the magneto-optical defect center material due to the pulse sequence;
measuring a first value of the light detection signal at a first reference period, the first reference period being before a period of the light detection signal associated with the two RF excitation pulses provided to the magneto-optical defect center material;
measuring a second value of the light detection signal at a second reference period, the second reference period being after the period of the light detection signal associated with the two RF excitation pulses provided to the magneto-optical defect center material;
computing a measurement signal based on the measured first and second values;
measuring a third value of the light detection signal at a signal period, the signal period being after the first reference period and before the second reference period; and
comprising computing the measurement signal based on a difference between the average of the first and second values and the third value.

Assignees

• Lockheed Corp

Inventors

• Egan Laird Nicholas
• COAR David Nelson
• Russo Jon C

Classifications

• G01N22/00

  Investigating or analysing materials by the use of microwaves or radio waves, i.e. electromagnetic waves with a wavelength of one millimetre or more (G01N3/00 - G01N17/00, G01N24/00 take precedence) · CPC title

• G01N21/63 Primary

  optically excited · CPC title

• G01R33/032 Primary

  using magneto-optic devices, e.g. Faraday {or Cotton-Mouton effect} · CPC title

• G01N22/005

  and using Stark effect modulation · CPC title

• G01N2021/0162

  using microprocessors for control of a sequence of operations, e.g. test, powering, switching, processing · CPC title