Magnetic steganography based on wide field diamond quantum microscopy

Abstract

We experimentally demonstrate magnetic steganography using wide field quantum microscopy based on diamond nitrogen vacancy centers. The method offers magnetic imaging capable of revealing concealed information otherwise invisible with conventional optical measurements. For a proof of principle demonstration of the magnetic steganography, micrometer structures designed as pixel arts, barcodes, and QR codes are fabricated using mixtures of magnetic and nonmagnetic materials, nickel and gold. We compare three different imaging modes based on the changes in frequency, linewidth, and contrast of the NV electron spin resonance, and find that the last mode offers the best quality of reconstructing hidden magnetic images. By simultaneous driving of the NV qutrit states with two independent microwave fields, we expediate the imaging time by a factor of three. This work shows potential applications of quantum magnetic imaging in the field of image steganography.