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  • Open Access

Probing the nitrogen vacancy center using the Faraday effect at room temperature

Reza Kashtiban, Gavin W. Morley, Mark E. Newton, and A. T. M. Anishur Rahman*

  • *Contact author: anishur.rahman@warwick.ac.uk
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Phys. Rev. Research 8, 013032 – Published 14 January, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/s9ff-8czr

Abstract

The spin states of the nitrogen vacancy (NV−) center in diamond are used in, among others, quantum computing, nanoscale imaging, and magnetic field sensing, and have been proposed for fundamental physics experiments. The states of NV− centers are traditionally measured using the spin-state-dependent photoluminescence—a destructive and often inefficient measurement scheme. In this article, using a single laser beam as a pump and a probe, we measure the spin states of the NV− centers nondestructively using the Faraday effect at room temperature. Using the optical selection rules and the helicity-dependent absorption, we identify the optical transitions of the NV− center responsible for the Faraday effect and confirm the existence of spin-orbit coupling in such centers at room temperature. Our results indicate that experiments such as NV spin-photon entanglement and electromagnetically induced transparency are viable in ambient conditions. Finally, using the Faraday effect, we develop a magnetic field sensor and argue that, with the inclusion of an optical cavity, a femtotesla-level magnetic field sensitivity can be achieved.

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Phys. Rev. Research 8, 013032– Published 14 January, 2026
  • Received 24 June 2025
  • Accepted 28 November 2025
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI.

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