Quantum Relaxometry Under Continuous Wave Excitation

Abstract

Quantum relaxometry is one of the most successful applications of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond and, more broadly, solid-state spin qubits, enabling ultrasensitive detection of magnetic noise and paramagnetic species via measurements of the spin-lattice relaxation time $T_1$. Conventional pulsed protocols, however, probe $T_1$ efficiently only over a limited temporal range, which restricts the scope and throughput of the technique. Here we introduce a continuous-wave quantum relaxometry protocol that operates in the frequency domain. By measuring the frequency response of the optically detected magnetic resonance signal under low-frequency microwave amplitude modulation, we extract $T_1$ from the characteristic response time of the spin system. The method enables efficient $T_1$ measurements spanning more than three orders of magnitude -- directly demonstrated from 60 $μ$s to 200 ms in our experiments -- across a broad temperature range and under substantial ensemble inhomogeneity. We further show that this protocol enables quantitative relaxometry-based sensing in nanodiamonds, achieving a substantial speed-up over the pulsed methods and offering a practical approach to optimizing nanodiamond size for enhanced sensitivity.