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Updated: Mar 12, 2026
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An Aptamer-based Sensor for Unchelated GadoliniumIII
Published on: January 9, 2017
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Photoinduced Spin Polarization of a Gadolinium Complex
Jonathon I Clark1,2, Kevin Henbest1, Damyan Frantzov1
1Chemistry Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3TA, United Kingdom.
Journal of the American Chemical Society
|March 11, 2026
Summary
Researchers show that exciting an organic molecule can flip the spin polarization of a nearby gadolinium(III) ion. This discovery offers a new way to control lanthanide-based quantum bits for quantum information science.
Area of Science:
- Photochemistry
- Quantum Information Science
- Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
Background:
- Organic chromophores and gadolinium(III) ions can form complexes with interesting magnetic properties.
- Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy is sensitive to the spin polarization of paramagnetic ions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the photochemical mechanism underlying the interaction between a photoexcited organic chromophore and a gadolinium(III) ion.
- To explore the impact of this interaction on the magnetic properties, specifically the spin polarization, of the gadolinium(III) ion.
- To assess the potential for manipulating lanthanide-based quantum information units (qudits).
Main Methods:
- Time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy.
- Transient absorption spectroscopy.
- Photoluminescence spectroscopy.
- Density functional theory (DFT) calculations.
- Spectral simulations.
Main Results:
- Photoexcitation of the organic chromophore perturbs the spin polarization of the adjacent gadolinium(III) ion.
- The perturbation is observed as a time-evolving inversion of the gadolinium(III) ion's EPR signal.
- A detailed photochemical mechanism explaining the observed spin polarization dynamics was elucidated.
Conclusions:
- A novel method for initializing and manipulating lanthanide-based qudits has been demonstrated.
- The findings open new avenues for utilizing lanthanide complexes in quantum information science.
- The study highlights the intricate interplay between photochemistry and magnetic properties in molecular complexes.
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