Christoph Müller

Nuclear magnetic resonance detection and spectroscopy of single proteins using quantum logic

Sensing single proteins with diamonds Nuclear magnetic resonance is a powerful technique for medical imaging and the structural analysis of materials, but is usually associated with large-volume samples. Lovchinsky et al. exploited the magnetic properties of a single spin associated with a defect in diamond and manipulated it with a quantum-logic protocol. They demonstrated the magnetic resonance detection and spectroscopy of multiple nuclear species within individual ubiquitin proteins attached to a specially treated diamond surface at room temperature. Science, this issue p. 836 The quantum properties of diamond are used for magnetic resonance spectroscopy of single proteins. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy is a powerful tool for the structural analysis of organic compounds and biomolecules but typically requires macroscopic sample quantities. We use a sensor, which consists of two quantum bits corresponding to an electronic spin and an ancillary nuclear spin, to demonstrate room temperature magnetic resonance detection and spectroscopy of multiple nuclear species within individual ubiquitin proteins attached to the diamond surface. Using quantum logic to improve readout fidelity and a surface-treatment technique to extend the spin coherence time of shallow nitrogen-vacancy centers, we demonstrate magnetic field sensitivity sufficient to detect individual proton spins within 1 second of integration. This gain in sensitivity enables high-confidence detection of individual proteins and allows us to observe spectral features that reveal information about their chemical composition.

Multiple intrinsically identical single-photon emitters in the solid state

Emitters of indistinguishable single photons are crucial for the growing field of quantum technologies. To realize scalability and increase the complexity of quantum optics technologies, multiple independent yet identical single-photon emitters are required. However, typical solid-state single-photon sources are inherently dissimilar, necessitating the use of electrical feedback or optical cavities to improve spectral overlap between distinct emitters. Here we demonstrate bright silicon vacancy (SiV(-)) centres in low-strain bulk diamond, which show spectral overlap of up to 91% and nearly transform-limited excitation linewidths. This is the first time that distinct single-photon emitters in the solid state have shown intrinsically identical spectral properties. Our results have impact on the application of single-photon sources for quantum optics and cryptography.

Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy with single spin sensitivity

Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and magnetic resonance imaging at the ultimate sensitivity limit of single molecules or single nuclear spins requires fundamentally new detection strategies. The strong coupling regime, when interaction between sensor and sample spins dominates all other interactions, is one such strategy. In this regime, classically forbidden detection of completely unpolarized nuclei is allowed, going beyond statistical fluctuations in magnetization. Here we realize strong coupling between an atomic (nitrogen–vacancy) sensor and sample nuclei to perform nuclear magnetic resonance on four 29Si spins. We exploit the field gradient created by the diamond atomic sensor, in concert with compressed sensing, to realize imaging protocols, enabling individual nuclei to be located with Angstrom precision. The achieved signal-to-noise ratio under ambient conditions allows single nuclear spin sensitivity to be achieved within seconds.

Electronic structure of the negatively charged silicon-vacancy center in diamond

The negatively-charged silicon-vacancy (SiV

Spectroscopy of surface-induced noise using shallow spins in diamond

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Submillihertz magnetic spectroscopy performed with a nanoscale quantum sensor

) center in diamond is a promising single photon source for quantum communications and information processing. However, the centers implementation in such quantum technologies is hindered by contention surrounding its fundamental properties. Here we present optical polarization measurements of single centers in bulk diamond that resolve this state of contention and establish that the center has a

Strongly coupled diamond spin qubits by molecular nitrogen implantation

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Stabilizing shallow color centers in diamond created by nitrogen delta-doping using SF6 plasma treatment

aligned split-vacancy structure with

Unambiguous nuclear spin detection using an engineered quantum sensing sequence

D_{3d}

Qudi: A modular python suite for experiment control and data processing

symmetry. Furthermore, we identify an additional electronic level and evidence for the presence of dynamic Jahn-Teller effects in the centers 738 nm optical resonance.