Novel quantum sensing possibilities with nonlinear optics

Date:
March 22, 2022
Source:
University of Tsukuba
Summary:
Researchers used the nonlinear optical response of atom-like
defects in a diamond to build a tiny thermometer. This research
may lead to temperature sensors that can work inside living cells
and other nanoscale applications.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Scientists from the Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences at the University
of Tsukuba have developed a method for monitoring the temperature
using the naturally occurring atom-like defects in diamonds. They found
that increased heat led to reduced intensity of the nonlinear harmonic generation of light.

This work may lead to highly accurate nano-sized thermometers.


========================================================================== Nanotechnology is playing an increasingly important role in new devices,
and the ability to measure temperatures at small scales grows ever
more vital.

Conventional thermometers are often too large or not practical for
many applications that involve length scales smaller than a few hundred nanometers.

Thus, new approaches are needed for tiny, non-contact temperature sensors.

Now, a team of researchers from the University of Tsukuba and Japan
Advanced Institute of Science and Technology have taken advantage of
the nonlinear optical properties of a particular kind of defect in
diamonds which are made of carbon atoms arranged in a diamond cubic
lattice. Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) defects are naturally occurring flaws
in diamonds in which two adjacent carbon atoms have been replaced by a
nitrogen atom and a hole. They have attracted a great deal of attention
because they are easy to obtain and have unusual quantum and nonlinear
optical properties. Among them is the ability to combine two or even
three photons together into a single high-energy photon in a process
called harmonic generation.

Using infrared ultrashort pulse laser stimulation, the team found that
the harmonic generation decreased with temperature over the range of 20-300DEGC.

"This study presents an efficient and viable way for creating
diamond-based nonlinear optical temperature sensing," first author
Dr. Aizitiaili Abulikemu says. This temperature-dependent change was
explained by mismatch due to the speed of different colors of light in
the diamond. That is, as the atomic lattice heats up, the difference in
the index of refraction between the original light and the higher energy
light created by harmonic generation grows larger, which decreases the efficiency of harmonic generation.

"Diamonds can be processed into a tiny tip for a probe as part of a
nanometer- scale temperature sensor," senior author Professor Muneaki Hase says. Future applications might even include a thermometer small enough to
find inside a living cell, which could be detected remotely with a laser.

Funding: This research received funding from the Core Research for
Evolutional Science and Technology program of the Japan Science and
Technology (Grant Number: JPMJCR1875).


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Tsukuba. Note: Content
may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Aizitiaili Abulikemu, Yuta Kainuma, Toshu An, Muneaki
Hase. Temperature-
dependent second-harmonic generation from color centers in diamond.

Optics Letters, 2022; DOI: 10.1364/OL.455437 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220322111313.htm

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