Nanometer scale quantum thermometer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10436650-B2
Application number	US-201414781382-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 1, 2014
Priority date	Apr 2, 2013
Publication date	Oct 8, 2019
Grant date	Oct 8, 2019

Abstract

An approach to nanoscale thermometry that utilizes coherent manipulation of the electronic spin associated with nitrogen-vacancy (NV) color centers in diamond is disclosed. The methods and apparatus allow for detection of temperature variations down to milli-Kelvin resolution, at nanometer length scales. This biologically compatible approach to thermometry offers superior temperature sensitivity and reproducibility with a reduced measurement time. The disclosed apparatus can be used to study heat-generating intracellular processes.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of measuring temperature of a heat source comprising:
providing an electron spin system comprising a diamond NV center proximal to the heat source, said diamond NV center having a temperature-dependent zero-field splitting of its ground electronic spin state;
applying an optical pulse to polarize the ground electronic spin state;
applying a plurality of microwave pulses to alter the spin population of the spin system;
applying a series of optical pulses to the spin system;
measuring a spin-state-dependent fluorescence rate to detect the spin projection of the electronic ground state of the NV center; and
determining the temperature of the heat source from the spin-state-dependent fluorescence rate.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determined temperature is indicative of a temperature at the micro to nanometer scale.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of microwave pulses comprises a 2π-echo-pulse sequence or its equivalent variations.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the microwave pulse is detuned from the zero-field splitting by 0 MHz to 500 MHz of the resonant frequency.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the evolution time is in the range of 0 μs to 10000 μs.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the temperature sensitivity ranges from 10 K/Hz 1/2 to 50 μK/Hz 1/2 .

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the heat source has a temperature between 100K and 600K.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the amount of 13 C impurity in the diamond is 0.0001% to 1.2%.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining the temperature from the spin-state-dependent fluorescence rate comprises:
determining temperature-dependent zero-field splitting of the NV center; and
determining the temperature based on the temperature-dependent zero-field splitting.

Assignees

• Harvard College

Inventors

• Maurer Peter Christian
• Noh Hyun Ji
• Kucsko Georg
• Lukin Mikhail D
• Park Hongkun
• Kubo Minako

Classifications

• G01K11/20 Primary

  using thermoluminescent materials (G01K11/32 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01K2211/00

  Thermometers based on nanotechnology · CPC title

• G01K13/00

  Thermometers specially adapted for specific purposes · CPC title

• G01K7/32 Primary

  using change of resonant frequency of a crystal · CPC title