2025/03/06 by Benedičič, Izidor, Tanuma, Yuri, Gosar, Žiga +4 · 1 citation
#FOS: Physical sciences #Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall)
paper · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2503.04172
The nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in nanodiamonds can be utilized as low-cost, highly versatile quantum sensors for studying surface properties in condensed matter physics through the application of relaxometry protocols. For such applications, a detailed knowledge of the intrinsic relaxation processes of NV centers in nanodiamonds is necessary. Here, we study the spin-lattice relaxation rates of NV ensembles in nanodiamonds with average diameters of 40 nm and 3 μm between room temperature and ∼ 6 K. The NV relaxation curves fit to a stretched-exponential form with a stretching exponent α≈ 0.7, implying the large distribution of relaxation times of individual centers within nanodiamonds. We determine the Orbach-like scattering on phonons as the leading relaxation mechanism. Finally, we discuss the viability of nanodiamonds as surface sensors when deposited on a metallic substrate and emphasize the need for well-controlled surface preparation techniques.