Characterisation and imaging of nanodiamonds for photonic applications

In the field of microscopy, there is an increasing desire to image smaller and smaller objects. Much can be learned by investigating objects at the scale of an optical wavelength and smaller, that currently cannot be investigated with traditional optical microscopes. The thesis demonstrates an optical mechanism that allows for fluorescence based imaging based on very small particles of diamond at a smaller scale than previously possible. This allows us to differentiate objects close together that were indistinguishable before. Additionally, the diamond nanoparticle is shown to be a highly sensitive magnetic field sensor and compatible with imaging below an optical wavelength.