Broadband multi-magnon relaxometry using a quantum spin sensor for high frequency ferromagnetic dynamics sensing

Development of sensitive local probes of magnon dynamics is essential to further understand the physical processes that govern magnon generation, propagation, scattering, and relaxation. Quantum spin sensors like the NV center in diamond have long spin lifetimes and their relaxation can be used to sense magnetic field noise at gigahertz frequencies. Thus far, NV sensing of ferromagnetic dynamics has been constrained to the case where the NV spin is resonant with a magnon mode in the sample meaning that the NV frequency provides an upper bound to detection. In this work we demonstrate ensemble NV detection of spinwaves generated via a nonlinear instability process where spinwaves of nonzero wavevector are parametrically driven by a high amplitude microwave field. NV relaxation caused by these driven spinwaves can be divided into two regimes; one- and multi-magnon NV relaxometry. In the one-magnon NV relaxometry regime the driven spinwave frequency is below the NV frequencies. The driven spinwave undergoes four-magnon scattering resulting in an increase in the population of magnons which are frequency matched to the NVs. The dipole magnetic fields of the NV-resonant magnons couple to and relax nearby NV spins. The amplitude of the NV relaxation increases with the wavevector of the driven spinwave mode which we are able to vary up to 3 × 106 m−1, well into the part of the spinwave spectrum dominated by the exchange interaction. Increasing the strength of the applied magnetic field brings all spinwave modes to higher frequencies than the NV frequencies. We find that the NVs are relaxed by the driven spinwave instability despite the absence of any individual NV-resonant magnons, suggesting that multiple magnons participate in creating magnetic field noise below the ferromagnetic gap frequency which causes NV spin relaxation.