MRI: Track 2 Acquisition of Pulsed 9/34 GHz EPR Spectrometer for Quantum Science and Biochemical Research

This award is jointly funded by the Chemical Instrumentation (CRIF) program and the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) program. Professor Stephen Hill from Florida State University and colleagues Geoffrey Strouse and Wen Zhu, together with NHMFL Research Faculty Thierry Dubroca and Tomas Orlando are acquiring a state-of-the-art pulsed electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectrometer operating at frequencies of 9 and 34 gigahertz, in magnetic fields up to 1.5 tesla.

This spectrometer is used in various fields including chemistry, biology, and physics. The spectrometer allows observation of transitions when electrons in a magnet field are irradiated with microwaves. The spectrum obtained gives valuable information about the composition of a sample.

This information provides insight on the environment near the atom and the properties of the system. As such, the instrumentation is used to provide precise structural details of chemically and biologically important molecules on length scales not possible with nuclear magnetic resonance, including bond distances and angles, as well as accurate information about the spatial arrangements of molecules relative to neighboring ones.

In addition, it is used to determine the dynamical properties of magnetic electrons that are central to modern information technologies, including quantum sensing and computing. The instrumentation impacts research in wide ranging areas including biochemistry, organic and inorganic chemistry, catalysis, materials chemistry and physics, as well as the growing area of quantum information science.

The instrument is an integral part of teaching as well as research and research training of undergraduate and graduate students in chemistry, biochemistry and physics at both FSU and the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (NHMFL) . The reach of the instrumentation extends to similar programs at the nearby campuses of Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, an historically black university, and the University of Florida.

Integration of the instrument with the NHMFL user programs also impacts the work of researchers and students throughout the US and beyond, including the many participants of schools and workshops organized by the lab.

The award is aimed at enhancing research and education at all levels. Research enabled by the instrument is focused on the following areas of study: (i) obtaining fundamental understanding of the microscopic processes that limit the coherence of molecular spin qubits, with the aim of designing molecules with built-in protection against various sources of decoherence; (ii) linking molecular qubits to form elementary quantum gates; (iii) development of electrical and optical schemes for initialization and manipulation of spin qubits that are essential for next generation quantum technologies; (iv) seeking understanding of the intrinsic electronic structures and the role of extrinsic defects in dilute magnetic semiconductor quantum dots, with a view to optimizing plasmonic and spintronics properties of importance to future microelectronics applications; (v) understanding peptide biosynthesis for design of next-generation “evolution-proof” antibiotics and green catalysts; and (vi) development of new dynamic nuclear polarization agents with properties that optimize nuclear magnetic resonance signal enhancements, thereby greatly increasing the sensitivity of this widely applied technique.

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.