Quantum Optics Seminar by Alexander Eichler

Recent Progress in Nanoscale Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Sensitive detection of weak magnetic moments is an essential capability in many areas of nanoscale science and technology, including nanomagnetism, quantum readout of spins, and nanoscale magnetic resonance imaging (NanoMRI). In this talk I will highlight a few recent results obtained with diamond nitrogen-vacancy center magnetometry and force-detected NanoMRI in the Degen group at ETH Zurich. In particular, I will show that the write head of a commercial hard drive may enable significant advances in nanoscale spin detection and in quantum spin control. By approaching a sharp diamond tip to within 5 nm from the pole and measuring the induced diamagnetic moment with a nanomechanical force transducer, we have demonstrated a spin sensitivity of 0.032 Bohr magnetons per root Hz, equivalent to 21 proton magnetic moments. We foresee diverse applications for write heads in experimental condensed matter physics, especially in spintronics, ultrafast spin manipulation, and mesoscopic physics.