Spatiotemporal Mapping of a Photocurrent Vortex in Monolayer MoS_{2} Using Diamond Quantum Sensors

Abstract

Photocurrents are central to understanding and harnessing the interaction of light with matter. Here, we introduce a contact-free method to spatially resolve photocurrent distributions using proximal quantum magnetometers. We interface monolayer MoS_{2} with a near-surface ensemble of nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond and map the generated photothermal current distribution through its magnetic-field profile. By synchronizing pulsed photoexcitation with dynamical decoupling of the sensor spin, we extend the sensor’s quantum coherence and resolve time-dependent, two-dimensional current densities as small as 20 nA/μm, with a projected sensitivity of 200 nA/(μmsqrt[Hz]). Our spatially resolved measurements reveal that optical excitation can generate micron-sized photocurrent vortices in MoS_{2}, manifesting a photo-Nernst effect exceeding that of gate-tuned graphene at comparable magnetic fields. We further probe the rise time of the photocurrents and show that thermal diffusion determines its spatial variation. These spatiotemporal capabilities establish an optically accessed, local probe for optoelectronic phenomena, ideally suited to the emerging class of two-dimensional materials, for which making contacts is challenging and can alter the intrinsic material properties.