AC magnetometry in the strong drive regime with NV centers in diamond

Magnetic response measurements in the presence of AC drive fields provide critical insight into the properties of magnetic and conductive materials, such as phase transitions in two-dimensional van der Waals magnets, the heating efficiency of magnetic nanoparticles in biological environments, and the integrity of metals in eddy current testing. Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond are a commonly-used platform for such studies, due to their high spatial resolution and sensitivity, but are typically limited to weak-drive conditions, i.e., AC drive fields well below the NV microwave (MW) pulse Rabi strength. Once the AC drive field grows comparable to or larger than the Rabi strength, the induced MW pulse detuning suppresses NV sensitivity to the out-of-phase magnetic response, which encodes dissipation and conductivity in materials of interest. Here, we introduce a phase modulation protocol that cancels MW pulse detuning to leading order, and extends NV AC magnetometry into the strong drive field regime. The protocol, termed SIPHT (Signal Isolation through PHase Tuning), is experimentally demonstrated using an NV ensemble. By directly comparing SIPHT to the conventional Hahn echo AC sensing protocol, we quantify the preservation of NV magnetometry contrast for an out-of-phase signal. We further showcase SIPHT by detecting eddy current-induced magnetic fields from Cu, Al, and Ti samples, with the measured response field phase delays reflecting their distinct conductivities. SIPHT extends NV AC magnetometry to regimes inaccessible to standard dynamical decoupling measurement protocols, unlocking novel utility, e.g., in the study of magnetic hyperthermia and nondestructive testing of conductors.