World’s First Quantum Sensor

A large international team from Germany's Forschungszentrum Julich and Korea's Center for Quantum Nanoscience have created a sensor. This sensor can recognize tiny magnetic fields on the atomic scale. They have created a kind of MRI tool for quantum substances.

This is the world's first quantum sensor. 

The atom's diameter is smaller than a human hair by a million times. The size makes it difficult to measure the physical properties.  These properties can be electric and magnetic fields, for example. The observation tool must be highly sensitive in order to measure such a weak field from a single atom.

A quantum sensor uses quantum mechanical properties such as electron spin, or the entanglement of quantum states. Several types of sensors have been created over the past few years. It was previously believed that atomic scale spatial resolution could not be used at the same time as sensing electric and magnetic fields.

The new quantum sensor uses only one single molecule!

This is an entirely new way of sensing because the older sensors rely on a defect, or imperfection of a crystal lattice. Usually defects only work when they are deep into the middle of a substance. The defect always remains at a large distance from the object. This prevents the researchers from seeing the actual object on the scale of single atoms. 

It is because of this defect technique that researchers began using just one single molecule. The molecule is joined to the top of the scanning tunneling microscope and it can be brought within a few atomic distances!

Dr. Taner East, from the Julich side reports, "This quantum sensor is a game changer, because it provides images of materials as rich as an MRI and at the same time sets a new standard for spatial resolution in quantum sensors. This will  allow us to explore and understand materials at their most fundamental level.”

The Korean lab used in this study has the technology to research the technique, using state-of-the-art equipment. 

The sensor can detect changes in magnetic and electric fields on the order of 1/10 of an angstrom. Approximately 1/10 of an atomic diameter.

It is believed that this sensor can be implemented world wide. 

“What makes this achievement so striking is that we use an exquisitely engineered quantum object to resolve fundamental atomic properties from the bottom up. Preceding techniques for visualizing materials use large, bulky probes to try to analyze tiny atomic features,” says Dr. Dimitry Borodin “You have to be small to see small.”

This innovative quantum sensor will open up transformative avenues for creating new quantum materials and devices, creating new catalysts and learning the quantum behavior of molecular systems. 

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