QuTech Researchers Develop New Magnetic Quantum Sensing Technology

(Phys.org) Researchers at QuTech, a collaboration of TU Delft and TNO, have developed a new magnetic quantum sensing technology that can image samples with atomic-scale resolution. It opens the door towards imaging individual molecules, like proteins and other complex systems, atom by atom.
Magnetic imaging is non-invasive, can distinguish different types of atoms, and works under a wide range of conditions, including at room temperature. But current methods are limited to averaging over large volumes with large amounts of atoms, and imaging individual molecules or nanoscale structures is not possible. Researchers at QuTech have now made an important advance towards overcoming that limitation.
“Our work is based on the nitrogen vacancy (NV) center,” said first author Mohamed Abobeih. ”
“At QuTech we generally use these NV centers as quantum bits, the building blocks for future quantum computers and the quantum internet. But the same properties that make NV centers good quantum bits, also make them good quantum sensors,” said Tim Taminiau, lead investigator.

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