All-optical detection of digital microwave information utilizing quantum sensor of nitrogen-vacancy centers

Abstract This paper proposes an approach for non-intrusively detecting digital microwave information by all-optical means. The measurement of the digital information was realized by taking advantage of the spin property and optical readability of the nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers sensor. We convert microwave-carried information into fluorescence signals using diamond NV centers, and the fluorescence signals are then transformed into corresponding electrical signals using an avalanche photodiode. The performance of the system is experimentally evaluated. The time resolution for digital information detection is up to 50 μs, and the minimum detectable power is −2.04 dBm. This study indicates that the proposed method is feasible to accurately detect the digital information and has tremendous potential for the development of digital information processing by all-optical techniques.