High-Sensitivity NV Ensemble Imaging via AOD-Based Raster Scanning and Photodetection

Abstract: We present a technique based on an ensemble of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond capable of imaging magnetic fields with high spatio-temporal resolution. A focused laser beam is raster-scanned using an acousto-optic deflector (AOD) and NV center fluorescence is read out with a single photodetector, enabling low-noise detection with high dynamic range. The method operates in a previously unexplored regime, quasi-continuous wave optically detected magnetic resonance (qCW-ODMR). In this regime, NV centers experience short optical pump pulses for spin readout and repolarization, analogous to pulsed ODMR technique, while the microwave field remains continuously on resonance with the spin transitions. We systematically characterize this regime and show that the spin response is governed by a tunable interplay between coherent evolution and relaxation, determined by the temporal spacing between pump laser pulses. Notably, the technique does not require precise microwave pulse control, thus simplifying experimental implementation. To demonstrate its capabilities, we image time-varying magnetic fields from a microelectrode in a conductive medium with sub-millisecond temporal resolution. This approach enables flexible spatial sampling and with our diamond achieves nT$\cdot$Hz$^{-1/2}$ per pixel sensitivity, making it well suited for detecting weak, dynamic magnetic fields in biological and other complex systems.