Enhanced Photophysical Transition Dynamics of NV Centers in Nanodiamond on Structured Metamaterial Platforms

While promising as photostable solid-state quantum emitters for biological sensing and imaging applications, nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in nanodiamond are limited by their intrinsically inefficient photon generation and extraction from excited NV centers, which restrict the achievable sensitivity and temporal resolution. To overcome these challenges, judiciously structured metamaterials are developed, which can support broadband Purcell enhancement and spatially extended local plasmonic fields for effective plasmon-NV centers coupling. With fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy characterizations, a simultaneous amplification to the photophysical transition dynamics and emission intensity of NV centers are observed. We envision that the structured metamaterials pave the way for developing superior biological sensing platforms with enhanced sensitivity as well as augmented spatial and temporal resolution.