Nanoscale Detection Of A Single Fundamental Charge In Ambient Conditions Using The Nv- Center In Diamond

Single charge nanoscale detection in ambient conditions is a current frontier in metrology that has diverse interdisciplinary applications. Here, such single charge detection is demonstrated using two nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond. One NV center is employed as a sensitive electrometer to detect the change in electric field created by the displacement of a single electron resulting from the optical switching of the other NV center between its neutral (NV0) and negative (NV-) charge states. As a consequence, our measurements also provide direct insight into the charge dynamics inside the material.