Magnetic spin imaging under ambient conditions with sub-cellular resolution

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates ambient-condition, sub-cellular resolution magnetic spin imaging using NV ensemble sensors, achieving high sensitivity and enabling applications in microanalytics, materials, and life sciences.

Contribution

It introduces a novel NV-based sensing method for high-resolution, ambient-condition spin imaging with enhanced sensitivity and multiplexed detection capabilities.

Findings

Achieved direct spin noise imaging with 1000 spins sensitivity

Demonstrated sub-500 nm spatial resolution in cellular imaging

Enabled imaging of freely diffusing magnetic ions in microfluidic devices

Abstract

Measuring spins is the corner stone of a variety of analytical techniques including modern magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The full potential of spin imaging and sensing across length scales is hindered by the achievable signal-to-noise in inductive detection schemes. Here we show that a proximal Nitrogen-Vacancy (NV) ensemble serves as a precision sensing array. Monitoring its quantum relaxation enables sensing of freely diffusing and unperturbed magnetic ions in a microfluidic device. Multiplexed CCD acquisition and an optimized detection scheme enable direct spin noise imaging under ambient conditions with experimental sensitivities down to 1000 statistically polarized spins, of which only 35 ions contribute to a net magnetization, and 20 s acquisition time. We also demonstrate imaging of spin labeled cellular structures with spatial resolutions below 500 nm. Our study marks a major step towards sub-{\mu}m imaging magnetometry and applications in microanalytics, material and life sciences.