Patent ID: 9658301
Date: 2017-05-23
CPC Classifications: G01R

Claim:
1. A system comprising: an optical source configured to generate light that can optically excite electronic spin states of electronic spin impurities in a solid state lattice, when applied to a sample containing the spin impurities and the solid state lattice; a microwave source configured to generate microwave pulses that can be applied to the sample during optical excitation by the light, at a frequency tuned to the electronic spin resonant frequency of the spin impurities; a detector configured to detect output optical radiation after the optical signal has passed through the sample, so that the absorption intensity of the optical radiation can be measured; and a processing system configured to calculate relative populations (ρ) of the electronic spin states from the measured absorption intensity (A) and use the relative populations to obtain information about a variable of interest, wherein the processing system is further configured to calculate the relative populations of the electronic spin states of electronic spin impurities using a mathematical model that relates the relative populations of the electronic spin states to a ratio of the absorption intensity of the optical signal when the microwave pulses are turned on (A