Conclusion

In just a few years, NV scanning magnetometry has established itself as a central technique for nanoscale magnetic imaging, thanks to its high magnetic sensitivity, non-disruptive nature and use in ambient conditions. It can be used to study a wide range of samples (ferro- or antiferromagnetic, sputtered, epitaxial or exfoliated layers, single crystals, conductors or insulators, etc.) and magnetic objects (domain walls, spirals, skyrmions, etc.). Its performance even makes it the technique of choice for local probe microscopy imaging of antiferromagnetic and two-dimensional van der Waals magnetic materials, which are at the heart of current developments in spintronics. However, the NV center is a highly versatile quantum sensor, and its capabilities extend far beyond the magnetometry described here.

The effect of magnetic noise on the relaxation time of the NV center...