Preparing and preserving the double quantum coherence in NV− centers in Diamond at low fields

We present and demonstrate a simple idea to excite and preserve the double-quantum-coherence (DQC) in the ground state of the electron spin of the Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) color center in diamond. We measure the coherence time of the DQC and compare it to the single quantum coherence time, both, in a Ramsey fringe experiment and under a Hahn echo sequence. We also demonstrate a robust pulse sequence based on the DANTE pulse sequence for selectively isolating the signal from the electron transitions conditional on the state of the always-present Nitrogen spin.