Physics

Dr. Phani Kumar
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

In this talk, I will discuss our current work in the emerging field of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) defect
spin centers in diamond lattice. The optically addressable spin of a NV center in diamond has been
utilized to detect and measure a number of physical quantities such as magnetic field, electric field,
temperature and stress/strain at ambient conditions [1]. This diamond spin quantum sensor when
integrated into a scanning probe setup could also serve as a powerful tool for imaging of magnetic
phenomena in a number of condensed matter [2], material and biological systems. After introducing
the unique optical and spin properties of NV defect centers, I'll present our recent results from my
post-doctoral research work on realizing ambient magnetic imaging and force sensing studies [3]
with NV centers.

References:
1. "Nitrogen-Vacancy Centers in Diamond: Nanoscale Sensors for Physics and Biology",
    Annual Reviews in Physical Chemistry 65, 83-105 (2014).
2.  Nature Nanotechnology 11, 700–705 (2016); Nature Nanotechnology 11, 677–681 (2016).
3. "Nanomechanical sensing using spins in diamond", Nano Lett., 2017, 17 (3), pp 1496–1503.