Nanoscale magnetization mapping
Scanning nitrogen vacancy center magnetometry and its applications in nanomagnetism

In order to understand the nature of the dominant magnetic interactions in a material, or to manipulate localized magnetic objects, a crucial step is the measurement of magnetization texture maps on the micro- or nanoscale. These make it possible to visualize magnetic objects of interest, identify and characterize them, determine their stability conditions and assess the effect of external stimuli on them. A large number of magnetic imaging techniques enable such studies, probing the magnetic properties of materials using optical or THz beams, X-rays, electron beams or local probes.

Scanning NV microscopy is one of these, thanks to the use of the nitrogen-lacune defect in diamond as a highly sensitive magnetic field sensor placed at the end of a tip and scanned over the surface of the sample.