Experiments using Force-Detected Nuclear Magnetism: Coherent Electrons, Soft Matter, and Nanoscale NMR

非技术摘要：该研究项目将磁共振成像（MRI）技术从目前只有毫米分辨率（例如，在人类大脑的医学成像中）扩展到更高的微观分辨率。因此，该项目将使单个生物细胞的核磁共振成像，绘制结构和功能，以及，例如，识别癌细胞。此外，磁共振显微镜技术将用于研究电子材料；例如，识别目前阻碍微芯片进一步小型化的半导体缺陷。这项研究的一个最终目标是发展对单个原子级磁铁成像的能力；这样一项宝贵的成就将使识别生物分子的结构成为可能（例如，用于反生物恐怖主义努力和药物和疫苗的合理设计），并为所谓的“量子计算机”提供一个模型系统，量子计算机已被提议作为一种强大的加密工具，影响安全和商业。该项目还将大大扩大我们在纳米科学和纳米技术方面的教育工作，为本科生和研究生提供研究培训，包括得克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校的女性和少数族裔学生，并建立一个新的高素质科学家库。这项工作还将为UTeach物理教育硕士项目的学生提供研究项目，该项目已被证明能够培养和留住更多高素质的高中科学教师。技术摘要：本研究项目将利用力探测核磁共振新技术对多种材料进行研究，探测包括电子材料激发和软物质动力学在内的微尺度性质。该技术将磁共振与扫描探针显微镜相结合，将核磁耦合到安装在机械微振荡器上的微磁体上。电子材料的研究将探索金属-绝缘体和金属-超导体转变的各向异性，在一些化合物中，只有微米大小的单晶存在。软物质研究将探索单个生物分子的结构、功能和扩散研究。此外，该研究将进一步发展单核自旋探测，提供20纳米分辨率的可行性研究，并获得单核自旋探测所需的反馈、稳定和纳米磁体技术的信息。单自旋探测的目标包括成像应用和核自旋态的相干耦合和受控纠缠，后者为量子计算提供了一个模型固态系统。成像应用包括单个生物分子的成像和电子设备的地下成像。该项目将大大扩大我们在纳米科学和纳米技术方面的教育工作，为本科生和研究生提供研究培训，包括得克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校的女性和少数族裔学生，并建立一个新的高素质科学家库。这项工作还将为UTeach物理教育硕士项目的学生提供研究项目，该项目已被证明能够培养和留住更多高素质的高中科学教师。

Non-Technical Abstract:The research project extends the technique of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which now has only millimeter resolution (for example, in medical imaging of the human brain), to much higher, microscopic resolution. Thus the project will enable MRI imaging of single biological cells, to map out structure and function, and, for example, to identify cancerous cells. In addition, the magnetic resonance microscopy technique will be used to study electronic materials; for example, to identify defects in semiconductors that are currently preventing further miniaturization of microchips. One ultimate goal of this research is to develop the ability to image single, atom-scale magnets; such an invaluable achievement would enable the identification of the structure of biological molecules (for example, for anti-bioterrorism efforts and for the rational design of drugs and vaccines), as well as provide a model system for a so-called "quantum computer" which has been proposed as a powerful cryptography tool, impacting security and commerce. The project will also greatly expand our educational efforts in nanoscience and nanotechnology, providing research training of undergraduate and graduate students, including female and minority students at the University of Texas at Austin, and establishing a new pool of highly capable scientists. The effort will also provide research projects for students in our UTeach Master's in Physics Education program, which has been proven to produce and retain more highly qualified high school science teachers.Technical Abstract:The research project will use the new technology of force-detected nuclear magnetic resonance to perform several types of materials studies, probing micro-scale properties, including excitations in electronic materials and dynamics in soft matter. The technology combines magnetic resonance with scanning-probe microscopy, coupling the nuclear magnetism to micromagnets mounted on mechanical micro-oscillators. The electronic materials studies will probe the anisotropy of metal-insulator and metal-superconductor transitions in several compounds for which only micron-sized single crystals exist. The soft-matter studies will probe single biological molecules for structure, function, and diffusion studies. In addition, the research will further the development of single-nuclear-spin detection, providing a feasibility study with 20-nanometer resolution, and obtaining information on the feedback, stabilization, and nanomagnet technologies required for single-spin detection. The goals of single-spin detection include imaging applications and the coherent coupling and controlled entanglement of nuclear spin states, the latter to provide a model solid-state system for quantum computation. Imaging applications include the imaging of single biomolecules and the subsurface imaging of electronic devices. The project will greatly expand our educational efforts in nanoscience and nanotechnology, providing research training of undergraduate and graduate students, including female and minority students at the University of Texas at Austin, and establishing a new pool of highly capable scientists. The effort will also provide research projects for students in our UTeach Master's in Physics Education program, which has been proven to produce and retain more highly qualified high school science teachers.