Magnetometry based on the excited-state lifetimes of a single nitrogen-vacancy center in diamond

So far most well-established quantum sensing techniques based on the negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in diamond utilize the recorded fluorescence intensity to detect the electronic spin states. However, the fluorescence intensity of a NV center is not only dependent on its spin state, but also affected by measurement issues, such as fluctuations of the excitation laser power and charge state transformation of the NV center. Instabilities in terms of output power or polarization changes in the laser source as well as sample drifts during a measurement are common factors that weaken the precision. Here, we demonstrate proof-of-principle of a sensing method making use of the excited-state lifetimes of a NV center for magnetometry experiments.