Apparatus and method for hypersensitivity detection of magnetic field

• US 9,829,545 B2
• Filed: 01/21/2016
• Issued: 11/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Inventors: Stetson, Jr., John B., Cammerata, Jeff D.
• Primary Examiner(s): LaBalle, Clayton E
• Assistant Examiner(s): SANGHERA, JAS A
• Application Number:
  US15/003,558
• Publication Number:
  US 20170146617A1
• Time in Patent Office: 677 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/032 using magneto-optic devices, e.g. Faraday or Cotton-Mouton effect

Abstract

A system for magnetic detection includes a nitrogen vacancy (NV) diamond material comprising a plurality of NV centers, a radio frequency (RF) excitation source configured to provide RF excitation to the NV diamond material, an optical excitation source configured to provide optical excitation to the NV diamond material, an optical detector configured to receive an optical signal emitted by the NV diamond material, and a controller. The optical signal is based on hyperfine states of the NV diamond material. The controller is configured to detect a gradient of the optical signal based on the hyperfine states emitted by the NV diamond material.

Claims

1. A system for magnetic detection, comprising:

a nitrogen vacancy (NV) diamond material comprising a plurality of NV centers;

a radio frequency (RF) excitation source configured to provide RF excitation to the NV diamond material;

an optical excitation source configured to provide optical excitation to the NV diamond material;

an optical detector configured to receive an optical signal emitted by the NV diamond material, wherein the optical signal is based on hyperfine states of the NV diamond material; and

a controller configured to detect a gradient of the optical signal based on the hyperfine states emitted by the NV diamond material.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to detect a point of the largest gradient of the optical signal based on the hyperfine states.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

detect a movement of the gradient of the optical signal based on the hyperfine states emitted by the NV diamond material; and

compute a total incident magnetic field at the NV diamond material based on the movement of the gradient.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the RF excitation source is configured to provide the RF excitation at a power ranging from about 1 to about 10 W/mm².

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a magnetic field generator configured to generate a bias magnetic field, wherein the controller is further configured to detect a plurality of gradients of the optical signal based on the hyperfine states for a plurality of NV center orientations.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a magnetic field generator configured to generate a magnetic field, wherein the controller is further configured to control the magnetic field generator to generate a bias magnetic field and to detect a plurality of gradients of the optical signal based on the hyperfine states for a plurality of NV center orientations.

7. A system for magnetic detection, comprising:

a nitrogen vacancy (NV) diamond material comprising a plurality of NV centers;

means for providing a radio frequency excitation to the NV diamond material;

means for providing optical excitation to the NV diamond material;

means for receiving an optical signal emitted by the NV diamond material, wherein the optical signal is based on hyperfine states of the NV diamond material; and

means for detecting a gradient of the optical signal based on the hyperfine states emitted by the NV diamond material.

8. The system for magnetic detection of claim 7, wherein the means for detecting a gradient of the optical signal based on the hyperfine states detects a point of the largest gradient of the optical signal.

9. The system for magnetic detection of claim 7, further comprising means for generating a bias magnetic field, and wherein the means for detecting a gradient of the optical signal based on the hyperfine states detects a plurality of gradients of the optical signal for a plurality of NV center orientations.

10. A method for increasing measurement sensitivity of a magnetic detection system having a nitrogen vacancy (NV) diamond material comprising a plurality of NV centers, comprising:

applying RF excitation to the NV diamond material;

applying optical excitation to the NV diamond material;

measuring an optical signal emitted by the NV diamond material, wherein the optical signal emitted by the NV diamond is based on hyperfine states of the NV diamond material; and

detecting a gradient of the optical signal based on the hyperfine states emitted by the NV diamond material.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

detecting a movement of the gradient of the optical signal based on the hyperfine states emitted by the NV diamond material; and

computing a total incident magnetic field at the NV diamond material based on the movement of the gradient.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the detected gradient is a point of the largest gradient of the optical signal based on the hyperfine states.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the RF excitation is applied at a power ranging from about 1 to about 10 W/mm².

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

applying a bias magnetic field; and

detecting a plurality of gradients of the optical signal based on the hyperfine states for a plurality of NV center orientations.

15. A system for magnetic detection, comprising:

a magneto-optical defect center material comprising a plurality of magneto-optical defect centers;

a radio frequency (RF) excitation source configured to provide RF excitation to the magneto-optical defect center material;

an optical excitation source configured to provide optical excitation to the magneto-optical defect center material;

an optical detector configured to receive an optical signal emitted by the magneto-optical defect center material, wherein the optical signal is based on hyperfine states of the magneto-optical defect center material; and

a controller configured to detect a gradient of the optical signal based on the hyperfine states emitted by the magneto-optical defect center material.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the controller is configured to detect a point of the largest gradient of the optical signal based on the hyperfine states.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the controller is further configured to:

detect a movement of the gradient of the optical signal based on the hyperfine states emitted by the magneto-optical defect center material; and

compute a total incident magnetic field at the magneto-optical defect center material based on the movement of the gradient.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the RF excitation source is configured to provide the RF excitation at a power ranging from about 1 to about 10 W/mm².

19. The system of claim 15, further comprising a magnetic field generator configured to generate a bias magnetic field, wherein the controller is further configured to detect a plurality of gradients of the optical signal based on the hyperfine states for a plurality of magneto-optical defect center orientations.

20. The system of claim 15, further comprising a magnetic field generator configured to generate a magnetic field, wherein the controller is further configured to control the magnetic field generator to generate a bias magnetic field and to detect a plurality of gradients of the optical signal based on the hyperfine states for a plurality of magneto-optical defect center orientations.

21. A method for increasing measurement sensitivity of a magnetic detection system having a magneto-optical defect center material comprising a plurality of magneto-optical defect centers, comprising:

applying RF excitation to the magneto-optical defect center material;

applying optical excitation to the magneto-optical defect center material;

measuring an optical signal emitted by the magneto-optical defect center material, wherein the optical signal emitted by the magneto-optical defect center material is based on hyperfine states of the magneto-optical defect center material; and

detecting a gradient of the optical signal based on the hyperfine states emitted by the magneto-optical defect center material.