Towards single-molecule NMR detection and spectroscopy using single spins in diamond

Abstract

Nanomagnetometry using the nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in diamond has attracted a great deal of interest due to its unique combination of room temperature operation, nanoscale resolution, and high sensitivity. One of the important goals for nanomagnetometry is to be able to detect nanoscale nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) in individual molecules. Our theoretical analysis details a method by which a single molecule on the surface of diamond, with characteristic NMR frequencies, can be detected using a proximate NV center on a time scale of an order of seconds with nanometer precision. We perform spatiotemporal resolution optimization and subsequently outline paths to greater sensitivity. Ou..