Maurer, Peter

Date: Monday August 5, 2013
Time: 11:00
Place: ETH Science City, HPF G6
Host: Andreas Wallraff

Quantum Control of Diamond Defects: Nanoscale Sensing in Living Cells

Peter Maurer
Harvard University, USA

In recent years, much attention has been paid to the quantum control of nanoscale systems under ambient conditions; these efforts span a variety of goals ranging from quantum metrology to quantum communication and computation. In this talk I will discuss novel metrological techniques based on quantum mechanical control of individual electron spins associated with Nitrogen Vacancy (NV) color centers in diamond. I will begin my talk by introducing a novel NV-based technique, which allows for sensitive probing of temperature variations at nanometer length scales with unprecedented accuracy. Additionally, combining nanoscale temperature sensing with local laser-induced heating of gold nanoparticles allows for control of the temperature profile within a living biological cell. I will then continue by discuss a novel superresolution far-field microscopy technique, which enables the detection and manipulation of individual spins with resolution well below the diffraction limit, opening the door for nanoscale bio-imaging and sensing. Direct applications of these quantum metrology techniques including temperature induced control of gene expression and control of nanoscale chemical reactions will be discussed.