No Arabic abstract
We use field-cycling-assisted dynamic nuclear polarization and continuous radio-frequency (RF) driving over a broad spectral range to demonstrate magnetic-field-dependent activation of nuclear spin transport from strongly-hyperfine-coupled 13C sites in diamond. We interpret our observations with the help of a theoretical framework where nuclear spin interactions are mediated by electron spins. In particular, we build on the results from a 4-spin toy model to show how otherwise localized nuclear spins must thermalize as they are brought in contact with a larger ancilla spin network. Further, by probing the system response to a variable driving field amplitude, we witness stark changes in the RF-absorption spectrum, which we interpret as partly due to contributions from heterogeneous multi-spin sets, whose zero-quantum transitions become RF active thanks to the hybrid electron-nuclear nature of the system. These findings could prove relevant in applications to dynamic nuclear polarization, spin-based quantum information processing, and nanoscale sensing.
Nuclear magnetism in n-doped semiconductors with positive hyperfine constant is revisited. Two kinds of nuclear magnetic ordering can be induced by resident electrons in a deeply cooled nuclear spin system. At positive nuclear spin temperature below a critical value, randomly oriented nuclear spin polarons similar to that predicted by I. Merkulov [I. Merkulov, Physics of the Solid State 40, 930 (1998)] should emerge. These polarons are oriented randomly and within each polaron nuclear and electron spins are aligned antiferromagnetically. At negative nuclear spin temperature below a critical value we predict another type of magnetic ordering - dynamically induced nuclear ferromagnet. This is a long-range ferromagnetically ordered state involving both electrons and nuclei. It can form if electron spin relaxation is dominated by the hyperfine coupling, rather than by the spin-orbit interaction. Application of the theory to the n-doped GaAs suggests that the ferromagnetic order may be reached at experimentally achievable nuclear spin temperature $Theta_N approx 0.5$ $mu$K and lattice temperature $T_L approx 5$ K.
Recently, magnetic field sensors based on an electron spin of a nitrogen vacancy (NV) center in diamond have been studied both from an experimental and theoretical point of view. This system provides a nanoscale magnetometer, and it is possible to detect a precession of a single spin. In this paper, we propose a sensor consisting of an electron spin and a nuclear spin in diamond. Although the electron spin has a reasonable interaction strength with magnetic field, the coherence time of the spin is relatively short. On the other hand, the nuclear spin has a longer life time while the spin has a negligible interaction with magnetic fields. We show that, through the combination of such two different spins via the hyperfine interaction, it is possible to construct a magnetic field sensor with the sensitivity far beyond that of previous sensors using just a single electron spin.
We report density dependent instabilities in the localised regime of mesoscopic two-dimensional electron systems (2DES) with intermediate strength of background disorder. They are manifested by strong resistance oscillations induced by high perpendicular magnetic fields B_{perp}. While the amplitude of the oscillations is strongly enhanced with increasing B_{perp}, their position in density remains unaffected. The observation is accompanied by an unusual behaviour of the temperature dependence of resistance and activation energies. We suggest the interplay between a strongly interacting electron phase and the background disorder as a possible explanation.
Artificial spin ices (ASIs) are interacting arrays of lithographically-defined nanomagnets in which novel frustrated magnetic phases can be intentionally designed. A key emergent description of fundamental excitations in ASIs is that of magnetic monopoles -- mobile quasiparticles that carry an effective magnetic charge. Here we demonstrate that the archetypal square ASI lattice can host, in specific regions of its magnetic phase diagram, high-density plasma-like regimes of mobile magnetic monopoles. By passively listening to spontaneous monopole noise in thermal equilibrium, we reveal their intrinsic dynamics and show that monopole kinetics are minimally correlated (that is, most diffusive) in the plasma phase. These results open the door to on-demand monopole regimes having field-tunable densities and dynamic properties, thereby providing a new paradigm for probing the physics of effective magnetic charges in synthetic matter.
We demonstrate a method of imaging spatially varying magnetic fields using a thin layer of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers at the surface of a diamond chip. Fluorescence emitted by the two-dimensional NV ensemble is detected by a CCD array, from which a vector magnetic field pattern is reconstructed. As a demonstration, AC current is passed through wires placed on the diamond chip surface, and the resulting AC magnetic field patterns are imaged using an echo-based technique with sub-micron resolution over a 140 mu m x 140 mu m field of view, giving single-pixel sensitivity ~100 nT/sqrt{Hz}. We discuss ongoing efforts to further improve sensitivity and potential bioimaging applications such as real-time imaging of activity in functional, cultured networks of neurons.