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Atomic Nuclei: Magnetic Resonance

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The number of nuclear spins aligned in the lower energy state is slightly greater than those in the higher energy state. In the presence of an external magnetic field, as the spins precess at the Larmor frequency, the excess population results in a net magnetization oriented along the z axis. When a pulse or a short burst of radio waves at the Larmor frequency is applied along the x axis, the coupling of frequencies causes resonance and flips the nuclear spins of the excess population from the...

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Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is a very valuable analytical technique for researchers. It has been used for more than 50 years as an analytical tool. F. Bloch and E. Purcell formulated NMR in 1946 and won the 1952 Nobel Prize in Physics for their work. Biological macromolecules such as proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, and organic molecules including pharmaceutical compounds, can be studied using this versatile tool that exploits the magnetic properties of certain nuclei.
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In the absence of an external magnetic field, nuclear spin states are degenerate and randomly oriented. When a magnetic field is applied, the spins begin to precess and orient themselves along (lower energy) or against (higher energy) the direction of the field. At equilibrium, a slight excess population of spins exists in the lower energy state. Because the direction of the magnetic field is fixed as the z-axis, the precessing magnetic moments are randomly oriented around the z-axis. This...

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Optimizing Magnetic Force Microscopy Resolution and Sensitivity to Visualize Nanoscale Magnetic Domains

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Magnetic spin imaging under ambient conditions with sub-cellular resolution.

S Steinert¹, F Ziem, L T Hall

¹3rd Institute of Physics and Research Center SCOPE, University Stuttgart, Stuttgart 70569, Germany.

Nature Communications

|March 21, 2013

Summary

Researchers developed a nitrogen-vacancy spin ensemble for high-precision sensing and imaging of magnetic spins at room temperature. This breakthrough enables sensitive, real-time, sub-cellular magnetic imaging without external fields, aiding biological research.

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Area of Science:

Quantum sensing
Nanoscale imaging
Biophysics

Background:

Detecting small numbers of magnetic spins is challenging, especially at room temperature.
Existing methods often require external magnetic fields or are limited in sensitivity and resolution.
Room-temperature operation is crucial for many life and chemical science applications.

Purpose of the Study:

To demonstrate a proximal nitrogen-vacancy (NV) spin ensemble as a high-precision sensing and imaging array.
To enable sensing of freely diffusing magnetic ions and molecules without external magnetic fields.
To achieve direct spin noise imaging of cellular structures under ambient conditions.

Main Methods:

Utilizing a proximal nitrogen-vacancy spin ensemble for sensing.
Monitoring longitudinal relaxation for magnetic ion and molecule detection.
Employing multiplexed charge-coupled device acquisition and optimized detection schemes for spin noise imaging.
Operating within a microfluidic device under ambient conditions.

Main Results:

Achieved spatial resolutions below 500 nm within 20 seconds.
Reached experimental sensitivities down to 1,000 statistically polarized spins.
Demonstrated detection of only 32 ions contributing to net magnetization.
Successfully performed direct spin noise imaging of magnetically labelled cellular structures.

Conclusions:

The developed NV spin ensemble serves as a versatile high-precision sensing and imaging array.
This method allows for real-time, sub-cellular magnetic imaging and spin sensing under physiological conditions.
It offers a minimally invasive tool for monitoring cellular processes like ion channels or haemoglobin trafficking.