Room-temperature alignment-free magnetometry with boron vacancies in hot-pressed hexagonal boron nitride

• URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2509.00734v1
• Date: Sun, 31 Aug 2025 07:58:52 GMT
• Title: Room-temperature alignment-free magnetometry with boron vacancies in hot-pressed hexagonal boron nitride
• Authors: Shuyu Wen, Raul Coto, Peiting Wen, Slawomir Prucnal, Manfred Helm, Jun-Wei Luo, Shengqiang Zhou, Yonder Berencén,
• Abstract summary: Quantum sensors based on solid-state spin defects, such as nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond or boron vacancies in single-crystal hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), typically require precise alignment between the external magnetic field and the defect's spin quantization axis to achieve reliable sensing.<n>Here, we demonstrate room-temperature optically detected magnetic resonance fromVB- in commercially available hot-pressed polycrystalline hBN.<n>This approach paves the way toward low-cost, scalable, and mechanically stable quantum magnetic field sensors suitable for real-world deployment.
• Score: 3.511552827685005
• License: http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/
• Abstract: Magnetic field sensing is essential for applications in communication, environmental monitoring, and biomedical diagnostics. Quantum sensors based on solid-state spin defects, such as nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond or boron vacancies in single-crystal hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), typically require precise alignment between the external magnetic field and the defect's spin quantization axis to achieve reliable sensing. This alignment constraint complicates device integration and hinders scalability. Here, we demonstrate room-temperature optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) from negatively charged boron vacancies (VB-) in commercially available hot-pressed polycrystalline hBN. The random grain orientation inherently samples a broad range of spin quantization axes, enabling alignment-free magnetic field detection. Numerical modeling further confirms that sensing remains feasible despite anisotropic sensitivity, establishing hot-pressed hBN as a robust and practical platform for quantum magnetometry. This approach paves the way toward low-cost, scalable, and mechanically stable quantum magnetic field sensors suitable for real-world deployment.

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