Optically detected magnetic resonance of a single Nitrogen-Vacancy electronic spin in diamond nanocrystals

A scanning confocal microscope was constructed to study the spin resonance of NV centers in nanodiamond,incorporating microwave coupling and magnetic field control. Different aspects of the NV electronic spin in diamond nanocrystals, such as: determination of the orientation of an arbitrary single spin, variation of the lifetime as a function of the external magnetic field, determination of coherence time, control of Rabi oscillation frequency as function of microwave frequencies, etc., are investigated.