The use of qubits as sensitive nanoscale magnetometers has been studied theoretically and recently demonstrated experimentally. In this paper we propose a new concept, in which a scanning two-state quantum system is used to probe a sample through the subtle effects of decoherence. Mapping both the Hamiltonian and decoherence properties of a qubit simultaneously provides a unique image of the magnetic (or electric) field properties at the nanoscale. The resulting images are sensitive to the temporal as well as spatial variation in the fields created by the sample. As examples we theoretically study two applications; one from condensed matter physics, the other biophysics. The individual components required to realize the simplest version of this device (characterization and measurement of qubits, nanoscale positioning) have already been demonstrated experimentally.
The use of qubits as sensitive nanoscale magnetometers has been studied theoretically and recently demonstrated experimentally. In this paper we propose a new concept, in which a scanning two-state quantum system is used to probe a sample through the subtle effects of decoherence. Mapping both the Hamiltonian and decoherence properties of a qubit simultaneously provides a unique image of the magnetic (or electric) field properties at the nanoscale. The resulting images are sensitive to the temporal as well as spatial variation in the fields created by the sample. As examples we theoretically study two applications; one from condensed matter physics, the other biophysics. The individual components required to realize the simplest version of this device (characterization and measurement of qubits, nanoscale positioning) have already been demonstrated experimentally.
The use of qubits as sensitive nanoscale magnetometers has been studied theoretically and recently demonstrated experimentally. In this paper we propose a new concept, in which a scanning two-state quantum system is used to probe a sample through the subtle effects of decoherence. Mapping both the Hamiltonian and decoherence properties of a qubit simultaneously provides a unique image of the magnetic (or electric) field properties at the nanoscale. The resulting images are sensitive to the temporal as well as spatial variation in the fields created by the sample. As examples we theoretically study two applications; one from condensed matter physics, the other biophysics. The individual components required to realize the simplest version of this device (characterization and measurement of qubits, nanoscale positioning) have already been demonstrated experimentally.
Abstract There is a rich of electric phenomena ubiquitously existing in novel quantum materials and advanced electronic devices. Microscopic understanding of the underlying physics relies on the sensitive and quantitative measurements of the electric field, electric current, electric potential, and other related physical quantities with a spatial resolution down to nanometers. Combined with a scanning probe microscope (SPM), the emergent quantum sensors of atomic/nanometer size provide promising platforms for imaging various electric parameters with a sensitivity beyond a single electron/charge. In this perspective, we introduce the working principle of such newly developed technologies, which are based on the strong sensitivity of quantum systems to external disturbances. Then we review the recent applications of those quantum sensors in nanoscale electric sensing and imaging, including a discussion of their privileges over conventional SPM techniques. Finally, we propose some promising directions for the future developments and optimizations of quantum sensors in nanoscale electric sensing and imaging.
Two revolutions in quantum sensing are converging on the same microscope stage. Biological qubits have emerged as genetically encoded, optically addressable quantum systems inside live cells. Solid state spin based qubits have been entangled and used as nanoscale correlator magnetometers, delivering sensitivity and spatial-resolution gains that single-spin probes cannot reach. Here we report a pulsed quantum microscope that enables simultaneous quantum state manipulation of both qubit technologies in live cells. The platform combines nanosecond-gated optical excitation at 450 nm and 520 nm, three-dimensional diffraction-limited addressing by galvo beam scanning and piezo objective focus, rapidly switched static and radio-frequency magnetic fields, single-photon timing with picosecond resolution, and microwave control for frequencies from DC to 5 GHz, including the 2.87 GHz resonance of solid state spins, the 500 MHz to 800 MHz resonance of radical pairs in biological qubits, and any future qubit resonance in the GHz range. Live cell imaging with simultaneous biological and solid state nanoparticle qubits in the same cell demonstrates the power of this technique for multiplexed quantum sensing. We anticipate this approach will open new opportunities for researchers to explore quantum sensing in live cells, and, ultimately, entanglement between a solid-state qubit and a protein-hosted spin qubit.
Quantum sensors harness the high sensitivity of quantum systems to external perturbations to accurately measure various physical quantities. Among the quantum systems employed for sensing purposes, the nitrogen-vacancy (NV) defect in diamond has garnered considerable attention as a magnetometer. A single NV center can be integrated in a scanning probe microscope to build a highly sensitive imaging tool which is particularly adapted to the investigation of antiferromagnets. Two approaches are possible, either the measurement of small static stray fields or the detection of magnetic noise.For canted antiferromagnetic textures, like the cycloidal state in multiferroic bismuth ferrite, the NV center can probe the stray field produced by the uncompensated moments, revealing the presence of topological defects in the magnetic order at the surface of bulk single crystals [1].Alternatively, thermally activated spin waves confined in domain walls generate a magnetic noise to which the NV center is also sensitive. This property allows the localization of the domain walls, which was demonstrated in synthetic antiferromagnets [2].Besides the NV centers, new sensors are emerging as magnetic field probes like the boron vacancies in h-BN, which offer the possibilty to integrate a sensing layer inside a van der Waals heterostructure [3].[1] Finco et al., Physical Review Letters, 128, 187201 (2022)[2] Finco et al., Nature Communications 12, 767 (2021)[3] Kumar et al., Physical Review Applied, 18, L061002 (2022)
Technological advancements in the creation, manipulation and detection of quantum states of light have motivated the application of such states to overcome classical limits in sensing and imaging. In particular, there has been a surge of recent interest in super-resolution imaging based on principles of quantum optics. However, the application of such schemes for practical imaging of biological samples is demanding in terms of signal-to-noise ratio, speed of acquisition and robustness with respect to sample labeling. Here, we re-introduce the concept of quantum image scanning microscopy (Q-ISM), a super-resolution method that enhances the classical image scanning microscopy (ISM) method by measuring photon correlations. Q-ISM was already utilized to achieve super-resolved images of a biological sample labeled with fluorescent nanoscrystals whose contrast is based entirely on a quantum optical phenomenon, photon antibunching. We present here an experimental demonstration of the method and discuss with further details its prospects for application in life science microscopy.
The nitrogen-vacancy (NV) defect center in diamond has demonstrated great capability for nanoscale magnetic sensing and imaging for both static and periodically modulated target fields. However, it remains a challenge to detect and image randomly fluctuating magnetic fields. Recent theoretical and numerical works have outlined detection schemes that exploit changes in decoherence of the detector spin as a sensitive measure for fluctuating fields. Here we experimentally monitor the decoherence of a scanning NV center in order to image the fluctuating magnetic fields from paramagnetic impurities on an underlying diamond surface. We detect a signal corresponding to roughly 800 μB in 2 s of integration time, without any control on the target spins, and obtain magnetic-field spectral information using dynamical decoupling techniques. The extracted spatial and temporal properties of the surface paramagnetic impurities provide insight to prolonging the coherence of near-surface qubits for quantum information and metrology applications.