Breakthrough research in quantum technology could enable a new generation of ultra-precise sensors that can operate at room temperature, unlocking a world of possibilities in fields ranging from materials science to biological exploration.
Harnessing Quantum Spins
This groundbreaking work is made possible by the ability to manipulate and quantify — especially with precision — quantum states of molecules. In a paper published in Science Advances today, the research team — which includes scientists from the University of Glasgow, Imperial College London and UNSW Sydney — have shown for the first time that they can control the ‘spin’ of electrons within organic molecules and measure this spin electronically using visible light, all at room temperature.
What the researchers did was harness lasers to aline electron spins (which can property be defined as tiny quantum-mechanical magnets) in a particular way and form desired quantum states that could interact. The group next used precisely directed microwave pulses to further control the spin states, before measuring the state of its spins by observing how much light these molecules produced. Called ‘optically detected coherent control of molecular spins,’ this technique opens the door to a new class of quantum sensors boasting unprecedented precision.
This is the sneakiest way on how to enable molecular sensing at its fullest!
The big advantage of starting with molecules as the basis for these quantum sensors is how malleable and tunable molecules are. Molecules can be chemically made for dedicated applications or sensing requirement unlike inorganic materials. This suggests sensors made from new MET-LF platforms could be used to explore different environments such as biological systems or advanced materials and devices.
As a proof-of-concept demonstration, the research team used an organic molecule named pentacene integrated into two para-terphenyl material forms both in crystal and thin-film versions. They discovered that they could pick up the optical signals of quantum coherence—the timescale for which the quantum states are preserved—and maintain it in these molecules at room temperature; a key milestone as this coherence time dictates how much information one can glean from the sensors about their interactions with the characteristics to be measured.
Dr. Sam Bayliss, who was the lead author on the paper and made these measurements, noted how this is a fundamental demonstration for a field that could have far-reaching consequences: “Optical detection of quantum coherence in room temperature molecular systems is key in realising room temperature quantum sensing In making this measurement we’ve shown it’s possible to achieve many of the primary features needed for such devices — but crucially all within chemically synthesised molecules.” He also underlined potential uses from ‘portable layers for magnetic resonance imaging at short length scales to probing biological systems with quantum-enhanced sensitivity.
Conclusion
The breakthrough in quantum technology demonstrates an important advancement towards high-performance quantum sensors, which could pave the way for a novel class of more accurate, flexible and deployable sensors based on quantum technology. By exploiting the peculiar properties of the molecules themselves, researchers have now been able to manipulate and detect quantum states at room temperature with precision — opening up myriad new avenues across a number of fields ranging from materials science to biological imaging and beyond. A growing body of evidence suggests that the more the team can build upon these discoveries, they closer they move towards unlocking revolutionary developments in quantum sensing, uncovering a fundamental insight into our world.
