Pushing the Limits of Nanoscale Magnetic Resonance: Nuclear Spin Detection and Imaging

Abstract

In 2004, Rugar and coworkers demonstrated the detection of magnetic resonance on a single electron spin using magnetic resonance force microscopy. This work represented an important milestone, yet the most exciting potential applications for nanoscale magnetic resonance rely on detecting and imaging nuclear spins, such as the hydrogen nuclei in organic samples. The roughly 650 times smaller nuclear magnetic moment compared to the electron makes this especially challenging. I will describe our three-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance imaging of tobacco mosaic viruses with a spatial resolution of roughly 10 nm, and the obstacles to pushing beyond this limit with force detection. An alternative approach based on nitrogen vacancy centers in diamond offers room temperature operation and single spin sensitivity for nearby nuclei. This talk will include both our own work and that from others in the nano-MRI community, as well as some personal perspectives gained from working on these projects over the course of my years at IBM.