Positioning Nuclear Spins in Interacting Clusters for Quantum Technologies and Bio-imaging

TL;DR

This paper introduces a method to precisely measure and control hyperfine interactions between NV centers and nuclear spins, enabling detailed 3D imaging of spin structures in molecules and materials.

Contribution

A novel protocol for tunable electron-nuclear coupling that suppresses inter-nuclear interactions, allowing individual nuclear spin control and 3D structure reconstruction without changing magnetic field orientation.

Findings

Successfully reconstructed an interacting spin cluster in diamond.

Achieved 3D imaging of nuclear spins in a bio-molecule.

Demonstrated precise hyperfine vector measurement.

Abstract

We propose a method to measure the hyperfine vectors between a nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center and an environment of interacting nuclear spins. Our protocol enables the generation of tunable electron-nuclear coupling Hamiltonians while suppressing unwanted inter-nuclear interactions. In this manner, each nucleus can be addressed and controlled individually thereby permitting the reconstruction of the individual hyperfine vectors. With this ability the 3D-structure of spin ensembles and spins in bio-molecules can be identified without the necessity of varying the direction of applied magnetic fields. We demonstrate examples including the complete reconstruction of an interacting spin cluster in diamond and 3D imaging of all the nuclear spins in a bio-molecule.