All-microwave spectroscopy and polarization of individual nuclear spins in a solid

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates all-microwave spectroscopy and polarization of individual nuclear spins in a solid, revealing real-time quantum jumps and enabling single-spin nuclear polarization using microwave techniques at millikelvin temperatures.

Contribution

It introduces a microwave-based method to detect and manipulate individual nuclear spins and achieve nuclear polarization without optical or other external methods.

Findings

Real-time detection of nuclear spin quantum jumps

Single-spin dynamical nuclear polarization achieved

Method applicable to various electron-nuclear spin systems

Abstract

We report magnetic resonance spectroscopy measurements of individual nuclear spins in a crystal coupled to a neighbouring paramagnetic center, detected using microwave fluorescence at millikelvin temperatures. We observe real-time quantum jumps of the nuclear spin state, a proof of their individual nature. By driving the forbidden transitions of the coupled electron-nuclear spin system, we also achieve single-spin solid-effect dynamical nuclear polarization. Relying exclusively on microwave driving and microwave photon counting, the methods reported here are in principle applicable to a large number of electron-nuclear spin systems, in a wide variety of samples.