Quantum Sensors

Paola Cappellaro (Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering, MIT)

Description: Recent advances in the control of isolated quantum systems has made it possible to use them as sensitive probes of the nano-world. In particular, the spins associated with Nitrogen-Vacancy color centers in diamond have emerged as robust versatile sensors for applications ranging from precision magnetometers to gyroscopes. The success of quantum-enhanced sensors relies on precise control of the experimental systems to protect them from undesired sources of noise. Unfortunately, simple application of known strategies to reduce decoherence does not necessarily translate into an improvement of phase measurements: techniques such as dynamical decoupling that eliminate decoherence also eliminate the very signal that one wishes to measure. In this talk I will show how to extend control techniques to quantum metrology tasks, achieving a better and more flexible compromise between sensitivity and noise protection [1,2]. In addition, tailoring the sensor dynamic can help reveal temporal and spatial information about the target [3,4]. I will illustrate applications of these strategies in experimental implementations based on the Nitrogen-Vacancy center in diamond.

[1] C. D. Aiello, M. Hirose, P. Cappellaro, "Composite-pulse magnetometry with a solid-state quantum sensor", Nature Comm. 4, 1419 (2013) [2] M. Hirose, C.D. Aiello, P. Cappellaro, "Continuous dynamical decoupling magnetometry", Phys. Rev. A 86, 062320 (2012) [3] A. Cooper, E. Magesan, H. Yum and P. Cappellaro, "Time-resolved magnetic sensing with electronic spins in diamond", Nature Comm. 5, 3141 (2014) [4] A. Ajoy, U. Bissbort, M. Lukin, R. Walsworth and P. Cappellaro "Atomic-scale nuclear spin imaging using quantum-assisted sensors in diamond" arXiv:1407.3134

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