Robust AC Vector Sensing at Zero Magnetic Field with Pentacene.

Abstract

Quantum sensors based on electronic spins have emerged as powerful probes of microwave-frequency fields. Among other solid-state platforms, spins in molecular crystals offer a range of advantages, from high spin density to functionalization via chemical tunability. Here, we demonstrate microwave vector magnetometry using the photoexcited spin triplet of deuterated pentacene molecules, operating at zero external magnetic field and room temperature. We achieve full three-dimensional microwave field reconstruction by detecting the Rabi frequencies of anisotropic spin-triplet transitions associated with two crystallographic orientations of pentacene in naphthalene crystals. We further introduce a phase alternated protocol that extends the rotating-frame coherence time by an order of magnitude and enables sensitivities of <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mn>1</mn><mo>⁡</mo><mi>μ</mi><mi>T</mi><mo>/</mo><msqrt><mrow><mi>H</mi><mi>z</mi></mrow></msqrt></math> with sub-micrometer spatial resolution. These results establish pentacene-based molecular spins as a practical and high-performance platform for microwave quantum sensing, and the control techniques are broadly applicable to other molecular and solid-state spin systems.