Imaging Strain-Controlled Magnetic Reversal in Thin CrSBr.

Two-dimensional materials are extraordinarily sensitive to external stimuli, making them ideal for studying fundamental properties and for engineering devices with new functionalities. One such stimulus, strain, affects the magnetic properties of the layered magnetic semiconductor CrSBr to such a degree that it can induce a reversible antiferromagnetic-to-ferromagnetic phase transition. Using scanning SQUID-on-lever microscopy, we directly image the effects of spatially inhomogeneous strain on the magnetization of layered CrSBr, as it is polarized by a field applied along its easy axis.

Imaging nanomagnetism and magnetic phase transitions in atomically thin CrSBr.

Since their first observation in 2017, atomically thin van der Waals (vdW) magnets have attracted significant fundamental, and application-driven attention. However, their low ordering temperatures, T, sensitivity to atmospheric conditions and difficulties in preparing clean large-area samples still present major limitations to further progress, especially amongst van der Waals magnetic semiconductors. The remarkably stable, high-T vdW magnet CrSBr has the potential to overcome these key shortcomings, but its nanoscale properties and rich magnetic phase diagram remain poorly understood.

Temperature-Dependent Photophysics of Single NV Centers in Diamond.

We present a comprehensive study of the temperature- and magnetic-field-dependent photoluminescence (PL) of individual NV centers in diamond, spanning the temperature-range from cryogenic to ambient conditions. We directly observe the emergence of the NV's room-temperature effective excited-state structure and provide a clear explanation for a previously poorly understood broad quenching of NV PL at intermediate temperatures around 50 K, as well as the subsequent revival of NV PL. We develop a model based on two-phonon orbital averaging that quantitatively explains all of our findings, including the strong impact that strain has on the temperature dependence of the NV's PL.

Proximity-induced chiral quantum light generation in strain-engineered WSe/NiPS heterostructures.

Quantum light emitters capable of generating single photons with circular polarization and non-classical statistics could enable non-reciprocal single-photon devices and deterministic spin-photon interfaces for quantum networks. To date, the emission of such chiral quantum light relies on the application of intense external magnetic fields, electrical/optical injection of spin-polarized carriers/excitons or coupling with complex photonic metastructures. Here we report the creation of free-space chiral quantum light emitters via the nanoindentation of monolayer WSe/NiPS heterostructures at zero external magnetic field.

Low-Temperature Photophysics of Single Nitrogen-Vacancy Centers in Diamond.

We investigate the magnetic field dependent photophysics of individual nitrogen-vacancy (NV) color centers in diamond under cryogenic conditions. At distinct magnetic fields, we observe significant reductions in the NV photoluminescence rate, which indicate a marked decrease in the optical readout efficiency of the NV's ground state spin. We assign these dips to excited state level anticrossings, which occur at magnetic fields that strongly depend on the effective, local strain environment of the NV center.

Imaging Domain Reversal in an Ultrathin Van der Waals Ferromagnet.

The recent isolation of 2D van der Waals magnetic materials has uncovered rich physics that often differs from the magnetic behavior of their bulk counterparts. However, the microscopic details of fundamental processes such as the initial magnetization or domain reversal, which govern the magnetic hysteresis, remain largely unknown in the ultrathin limit. Here a widefield nitrogen-vacancy (NV) microscope is employed to directly image these processes in few-layer flakes of the magnetic semiconductor vanadium triiodide (VI ).

Laser Modulation of Superconductivity in a Cryogenic Wide-field Nitrogen-Vacancy Microscope.

We realize a cryogenic wide-field nitrogen-vacancy microscope and use it to image Abrikosov vortices and transport currents in a superconducting Nb film. We observe the disappearance of vortices upon increase of laser power and their clustering about hot spots upon decrease, indicating local quenching of superconductivity by the laser. Resistance measurements confirm the presence of large temperature gradients across the film.

Proximity-Induced Artefacts in Magnetic Imaging with Nitrogen-Vacancy Ensembles in Diamond.

Magnetic imaging with ensembles of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centres in diamond is a recently developed technique that allows for quantitative vector field mapping. Here we uncover a source of artefacts in the measured magnetic field in situations where the magnetic sample is placed in close proximity (a few tens of nm) to the NV sensing layer. Using magnetic nanoparticles as a test sample, we find that the measured field deviates significantly from the calculated field, in shape, amplitude and even in sign.

Quantum probe hyperpolarisation of molecular nuclear spins.

Hyperpolarisation of nuclear spins is important in overcoming sensitivity and resolution limitations of magnetic resonance imaging and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Current hyperpolarisation techniques require high magnetic fields, low temperatures, or catalysts. Alternatively, the emergence of room temperature spin qubits has opened new pathways to achieve direct nuclear spin hyperpolarisation.

Microwave-free nuclear magnetic resonance at molecular scales.

The implementation of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) at the nanoscale is a major challenge, as the resolution of conventional methods is limited to mesoscopic scales. Approaches based on quantum spin probes, such as the nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centre in diamond, have achieved nano-NMR under ambient conditions. However, the measurement protocols require application of complex microwave pulse sequences of high precision and relatively high power, placing limitations on the design and scalability of these techniques.

Quantum imaging of current flow in graphene.

Since its first discovery in 2004, graphene has been found to host a plethora of unusual electronic transport phenomena, making it a fascinating system for fundamental studies in condensed matter physics as well as offering tremendous opportunities for future electronic and sensing devices. Typically, electronic transport in graphene has been investigated via resistivity measurements; however, these measurements are generally blind to spatial information critical to observing and studying landmark transport phenomena in real space and in realistic imperfect devices. We apply quantum imaging to the problem and demonstrate noninvasive, high-resolution imaging of current flow in monolayer graphene structures.

Environmentally Mediated Coherent Control of a Spin Qubit in Diamond.

The coherent control of spin qubits forms the basis of many applications in quantum information processing and nanoscale sensing, imaging, and spectroscopy. Such control is conventionally achieved by direct driving of the qubit transition with a resonant global field, typically at microwave frequencies. Here we introduce an approach that relies on the resonant driving of nearby environment spins, whose localized magnetic field in turn drives the qubit when the environmental spin Rabi frequency matches the qubit resonance.