Quantum Optics – CBQS seminar by Lauri Parkkonen

Superconductivity, spintronics and quantum optics for biomedical imaging

Sensing and imaging of biological systems most often benefits from exquisite sensitivity of the instrumentation, as the phenomena of interest are typically subtle and the object of study should remain biologically intact. Thus, quantum sensing typically lends itself well to studies of such systems.

In this talk, I cover my journey with quantum devices in biomedical sensing. I start off by describing superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) and their application to magnetoencephalography (MEG) to non-invasively study the function and dysfunction of the human brain and to ultra-low-field magnetic resonance imaging. Then, I illustrate how spintronics-based devices can be employed for non-contact measurements of the activity the human heart. After that, I show how MEG measurements can benefit from sensors based on quantum optics instead of superconductivity by explaining the utility of optically pumped magnetometers (or atomic magnetometers) in this context. In the end, I briefly discuss potential future developments in applying quantum sensing in biomedical imaging.