Search

High concentration of negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy ($\text{NV}^{-}$) centers was created in diamond single crystals containing approximately 100 ppm nitrogen using electron and neutron irradiation and subsequent thermal annealing in a stepwise manner. Continuous wave electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) was used to determine the transformation efficiency from isolated N atoms to $\text{NV}^{-}$ centers in each production step and its highest value was as high as 17.5 %. Charged vacancies are formed after electron irradiation as shown by EPR spectra, but the thermal annealing restores the sample quality as the defect signal diminishes. We find that about 25 % of the vacancies form NVs during the annealing process. The large $\text{NV}^{-}$ concentration allows to observe orientation dependent spin-relaxation times and also the determination of the hyperfine and quadrupole coupling constants with high precision using electron spin echo (ESE) and electron-nuclear double resonance (ENDOR). We also observed the EPR signal associated with the so-called W16 centers, whose spectroscopic properties might imply a nitrogen dimer-vacancy center for its origin.

Chemical modification such as intercalation or doping of novel materials is of great importance for exploratory material science and applications in various fields of physics and chemistry. Herein, the systematic intercalation of chemically exfoliated few-layer graphene with potassium is reported while monitoring the sample resistance using microwave conductivity. It is found that the conductivity of the samples increases by about an order of magnitude upon potassium exposure. The increased number of charge carriers deduced from the electron spin resonance (ESR) intensity also reflects this increment. The doped phases exhibit two asymmetric Dysonian lines in ESR, a usual sign of the presence of mobile charge carriers. The width of the broader component increases with the doping steps; however, the narrow components seem to have a constant line width.

Photophysics of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) is intensively studied due to their potential application in light harvesting and optoelectronics. Excited states of SWCNTs form strongly bound electron-hole pairs, excitons, of which only singlet excitons participate in application relevant optical transitions. Long-living spin-triplet states hinder applications but they emerge as candidates for quantum information storage. Therefore knowledge of the triplet exciton energy structure, in particular in a SWCNT chirality dependent manner, is greatly desired. We report the observation of light emission from triplet state recombination, i.e. phosphorescence, for several SWCNT chiralities using a purpose-built spectrometer. This yields the singlet-triplet gap as a function of SWCNT diameter and it follows predictions based on quantum confinement effects. Saturation under high microwave power (up to 10 W) irradiation allows to determine the spin-relaxation time for triplet states. Our study sensitively discriminates whether the lowest optically active state is populated from an excited state on the same nanotube or through F\"orster exciton energy transfer from a neighboring nanotube., Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures

Combined microwave-optical pump-probe methods are emerging to study the quantum state of spin qubit centers and the charge dynamics in semiconductors. A major hindrance is the limited bandwidth of microwave irradiation/detection circuitry which could be overcome with the use of broadband coplanar waveguides (CPW). We present the development and performance characterization of two spectrometers: an optically detected magnetic resonance spectrometer (ODMR) and a microwave detected photoconductivity measurement. In the first method light serves as detection and microwaves excite the investigated medium, while in the second the roles are interchanged. The performance is demonstrated by measuring ODMR maps on the nitrogen-vacancy center in diamond and time resolved photoconductivity in p-doped silicon. The results demonstrate both an efficient coupling of the microwave irradiation to the samples as well as an excellent sensitivity for minute changes in sample conductivity., 5 pages, 5 figures

Microwave reflectance probed photoconductivity (or $\mu$-PCD) measurement represents a contactless and non-invasive method to characterize impurity content in semiconductors. Major drawbacks of the method include a difficult separation of reflectance due to dielectric and conduction effects and that the $\mu$-PCD signal is prohibitively weak for highly conducting samples. Both of these limitations could be tackled with the use of microwave resonators due to the well-known sensitivity of resonator parameters to minute changes in the material properties combined with a null measurement. A general misconception is that time resolution of resonator measurements is limited beyond their bandwidth by the readout electronics response time. While it is true for conventional resonator measurements, such as those employing a frequency sweep, we present a time-resolved resonator parameter readout method which overcomes these limitations and allows measurement of complex material parameters and to enhance $\mu$-PCD signals with the ultimate time resolution limit being the resonator time constant. This is achieved by detecting the transient response of microwave resonators on the timescale of a few 100 ns \emph{during} the $\mu$-PCD decay signal. The method employs a high-stability oscillator working with a fixed frequency which results in a stable and highly accurate measurement., Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures+Supplementary Materials

Photoluminescence (PL) has become a common tool to characterize various properties of single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) chirality distribution and the level of tube individualization in SWCNT samples. Most PL studies employ conventional lamp light sources whose spectral distribution is filtered with a monochromator but this results in a still impure spectrum with a low spectral intensity. Tunable dye lasers offer a tunable light source which cover the desired excitation wavelength range with a high spectral intensity, but their operation is often cumbersome. Here, we present the design and properties of an improved dye-laser system which is based on a Q-switch pump laser. The high peak power of the pump provides an essentially threshold-free lasing of the dye laser which substantially improves the operability. It allows operation with laser dyes such as Rhodamin 110 and Pyridin 1, which are otherwise on the border of operation of our laser. Our system allows to cover the 540-730 nm wavelength range with 4 dyes. In addition, the dye laser output pulses closely follow the properties of the pump this it directly provides a time resolved and tunable laser source. We demonstrate the performance of the system by measuring the photoluminescence map of a HiPco single-walled carbon nanotubes sample.

Alkali intercalated graphite compounds represent a compelling modification of carbon with significant application potential and various fundamentally important phases. We report on the intercalation of graphite with alkali atoms (Li and K) using liquid ammonia solution as mediating agent. Alkali atoms dissolve well in liquid ammonia which simplifies and speeds up the intercalation process, and it also avoids the high temperature formation of alkali carbides. Optical microscopy, Raman, and electron spin resonance spectroscopy attest that the prepared samples are highly and homogeneously intercalated to a level approaching Stage-I intercalation compounds. The method and the synthesis route may serve as a starting point for the various forms of alkali atom intercalated carbon compounds (including carbon nanotubes and graphene), which could be exploited in energy storage and further chemical modifications.

Magnetic nanoparticle based hyperthermia emerged as a potential tool for treating malignant tumours. The efficiency of the method relies on the knowledge of magnetic properties of the samples; in particular, knowledge of the frequency dependent complex magnetic susceptibility is vital to optimize the irradiation conditions and to provide feedback for material science developments. We study the frequency-dependent magnetic susceptibility of an aqueous ferrite suspension for the first time using non-resonant and resonant radiofrequency reflectometry. We identify the optimal measurement conditions using a standard solenoid coil, which is capable of providing the complex magnetic susceptibility up to 150 MHz. The result matches those obtained from a radiofrequency resonator for a few discrete frequencies. The agreement between the two different methods validates our approach. Surprisingly, the dynamic magnetic susceptibility cannot be explained by an exponential magnetic relaxation behavior even when we consider a particle size-dependent distribution of the relaxation parameter., 5 pages, 4 figures, plus Supplementary Materials