Diamond Radio Receiver: Nitrogen-Vacancy Centers as Fluorescent Transducers of Microwave Signals

Abstract

We demonstrate a robust frequency-modulated radio receiver using electron-spin-dependent photoluminescence of nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond. The carrier frequency of the frequency-modulated signal is in the 2.8-GHz range, determined by the zero-field splitting in the nitrogen-vacancy electronic ground state. The radio can be tuned over 300 MHz by applying an external dc magnetic field. We show the transmission of high-fidelity audio signals over a bandwidth of 91 kHz using the diamond radio. We demonstrate operating temperature of the radio as high as 350 °C.