High-Speed Quantum Magnetic Widefield Imaging

With support from the Chemical Measurement and Imaging (CMI) program of the Chemistry Division and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), Mark Ku and his research group at the University of Delaware are developing a novel magnetic imaging technology based on nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond as quantum sensors. This new approach to using NV quantum sensors promises a unique set of capabilities for sensing weak magnetic fields with high spatial resolution and over a wide field-of-view.

High-speed, wide-field (WF) NV magnetic imaging has the potential to enable a variety of breakthrough applications involving chemical imaging and quantum sensing. Specifically, the Ku group is working to develop novel instrumentation – a dynamical quantum magnetic imaging (DQMI) microscope – that will advance the state-of-the-art in frame rate, spatial resolution, and sensitivity of real-time magnetic imaging.

The research team is pursuing an approach that combines the integration of a novel camera technology for NV magnetic imaging and the quantum control of NV sensors in order to provide a foundation for a number of high-impact measurement and imaging applications, including real-time WF detection of radical compounds and their redox reactions; micron-scale nuclear magnetic resonance imaging; imaging, tracking, and counting of nano-particle tags for chemical sensing; and imaging of neuronal activity. The broader impacts of the project also include potential applications in the development of new quantum technologies, and the development of a new course for the Quantum Science and Engineering graduate program at the University of Delaware.

The research project also will provide advanced training opportunities for the next generation of scientists and engineers, including graduate and undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds.

The goal of this project is to develop a novel high-speed, wide-field dynamical quantum magnetic imaging (DQMI) microscope using NV centers in diamond as quantum sensors. The research team is working to enhance the sensitivity of magnetic imaging through quantum control of the NV centers and the environment. The DQMI approach has the potential to enable real-time imaging of dynamic magnetic fields over a large field-of-view at frame rates up to ~1000 frames-per-second (fps) and correlation imaging with MHz sampling rates and sub-micron resolution.

The research team is working toward these goals by integrating a novel camera technology for NV magnetic imaging and quantum control of the NV sensors. The Ku group plans to demonstrate new capabilities for real-time imaging of dynamical magnetic fields, magnetic noise, and magnetic correlation functions. Techniques are also being developed to enhance sensitivity by controlling the coupling between NV centers and environmental spins.

Furthermore, the research team is developing a novel technique to interface NV centers with a sample of interest via the use of diamond micro-chips. The broader impacts of the project are enhanced through educational activities, including active involvement and training of graduate and undergraduate students to prepare the next generation of scientists and engineers; a continued focus on recruiting, retaining, and advancing students from groups that are underrepresented in STEM fields; and the development of a new Experimental Methods for Quantum Systems course as part of the newly launched Quantum Science and Engineering graduate program at the University of Delaware.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.