Department of Physics & Astronomy
University of New Mexico

Physics and Astronomy Colloquium

Diamond Quantum Sensors

Presented by Victor Acosta, UNM Assistant Professor

Color centers in wide-bandgap semiconductors have emerged as a leading platform in the field of quantum sensing, broadly defined as the use of qubits to measure environmental parameters. Here at UNM, we are using Nitrogen-Vacancy (NV) spin qubits in diamond to image magnetic phenomena in condensed-matter and biological systems over a broad range of length scales. At the nanometer scale, we build diamond magnetic microscopes to image, for example, the paramagnetic nanocrystals produced by malaria parasites. At the micrometer scale, we embed diamond quantum sensors inside microfluidic chips to perform nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy at the scale of single cells. At the millimeter scale, we use magnetic flux concentrators to detect femtotesla-level magnetic fields, with potential applications in medical imaging, geoscience, and even dark matter detection. I will provide an overview of the field, discuss recent results and ongoing challenges, and outline future directions.

3:30 pm, Friday, October 16, 2020
Zoom,

.

Disability NoticeIndividuals with disabilities who need an auxiliary aid or service to attend or participate in P&A events should contact the Physics Department (phone: 505-277-2616, email: physics@unm.edu) well in advance to ensure your needs are accomodated. Event handouts can be provided in alternative accessible formats upon request. Please contact the Physics front office if you need written information in an alternative format.

A schedule of talks within the Department of Physics and Astronomy is available on the P&A web site at http://physics.unm.edu/pandaweb/events/index.php