The Walsworth Group

Photo of the Month - January 2010


Pictured above is part of an apparatus being used to study nitrogen-vacancy (NV) defect centers in diamond. Shining green laser light on the NV centers causes them to emit red light, and an image of that red light is formed using a microscope. We can determine the magnetic field at the location of each NV center by manipulating its quantum state using short pulses of microwaves and green light, and measuring the amount of red light emitted in response. By simultaneously observing many NV centers in a diamond, we plan to demonstrate the capabilities of this technology to form images of magnetic field patterns with high sensitivity and spatial resolution. In the picture above, coils of wire are used to produce magnetic fields while a diamond is illuminated with green light. More details on this long-running project can be found here.

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Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
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Cambridge, MA 02138
Phone (617) 495-7274
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