Scanning probe magnetometer using a nitrogen-vacancy defect center in diamond

Imaging weak magnetic signals down to the individual spin level with nanometer-scale spatial resolution has been a long standing goal due to its possible impacts in biological and physical sciences [1]. Recent experiments [2,3] have demonstrated that nitrogen-vacancy(NV) defect centers in diamond can serve as an excellent sensor, enabling above-mentioned conditions even at room temperature. Here, we report our recent progress in the development of a scanning probe magnetometer, which consists of an atomic force microscope, a single NV center at the apex of the tip, and a confocal microscope. We will present a detailed description of our setup, its operating principles and specifications. \\[4pt] [1] D. Rugar \textit{et al}.\textit{ Nature} 430, 329 (2004)\\[0pt] [2] J. Maze \textit{et al}. \textit{Nature} 455, 644 (2008)\\[0pt] [3] G. Balasubramanian \textit{et al}. \textit{Nature} 455, 648 (2008)