MRI: Development of a Scanning-Probe-Assisted Confocal Microscope for Investigating Optical and Magnetic Properties and Phenomena

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Non-Technical Description:This instrument project is on development of a scanning-probe-assisted fluorescence microscope for simultaneous thermal, mechanical, magnetic resonance, and optical measurements of materials at variable temperatures and over micrometer and nanometer length scales. The complementary imaging techniques, integrated into a single platform with long-time, stable temperature control, enable nanoscale research that explores new materials and devices of emerging scientific and technological importance such as nanoscale sensing and information processing. As a whole, this project brings together a team of researchers with complementary expertise in sold-state physics, optics, and nano-engineering. Further, it offers students and postdoctoral researchers interdisciplinary education and the ability to interact with a wide network of collaborating research groups. These partnerships not only provide a broad dissemination platform but also allow the principal investigators to advance ongoing efforts to recruit and train students from communities under-represented in science.Technical Description:At the heart of this instrument is a closed-cycle cryo-workstation for variable temperature operation (4 K to 350 K) via contact to a thermal plate designed to minimize vibrations from a cryo-pump. A set of precision stages allows users to control the relative positions of the excitation laser beam, the scanning probe, and the sample. A miniature electromagnet is used to create a magnetic field of variable amplitude and direction, whereas a flat, glass-imprinted wave-guide serves as the source of resonant microwave and/or radio-frequency. The areas of research benefiting from this instrument include (i) the investigation of single photon emitters using two-dimensional semiconductors, (ii) the study of carrier spin dynamics in diamond, (iii) the development of new protocols for magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy at the nanoscale, (iv) the characterization and control of phase-change materials, (v) the investigation of magneto-plasmonic and spin-wave effects in magnetic nanostructures, and (vi) the understanding of single-photon dynamics in topological photonic metamaterials.