CAREER: Robust Coherence and High Sensitivity in Metal-Ion Nuclear-Spin Qubits

科罗拉多州立大学化学系的Joseph Zadrozny教授在化学系化学结构、动态和机理B计划的资助下，致力于开发具有环境敏感量子特性的新型分子。这种基础研究是建立量子传感和/或量子计算新系统的努力的核心。这项研究的目标是了解如何通过金属离子磁核的量子态来放大环境检测，这将是开发下一代量子比特或磁共振成像传感器所必需的。该项目位于配位化学、物理和量子信息科学的交界处，因此将在这些领域培养各级科学家。计划与当地一家科学博物馆和STEM(科学、技术、工程和数学)工具包开展外展活动，作为让学生在早期阶段接触到令人兴奋但复杂的量子世界的新方法。由于环境敏感性较弱，金属络合物中核自旋的量子态通常是长期存在的。了解如何放大这种敏感性可能会导致系统对环境高度敏感，但量子态寿命长，这是一个根本性的挑战。在这个项目中，约瑟夫·扎德罗兹尼博士和他的团队将研究混合电子/核自旋系统，以了解如何控制环境敏感性。将准备三种特定类别的混合电子/核复合体来回答以下问题：1)自旋交叉能否被利用来放大金属离子核自旋对环境的感知？2)价互变异构化能否被用来通过金属离子核自旋来影响环境检测能力？3)激进卫星的设计原则是什么，以最好地放大金属离子自旋动力学对当地化学变化的响应？这个奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

In this CAREER grant, funded by the Chemical Structure, Dynamic & Mechanism B Program of the Chemistry Division, Professor Joseph Zadrozny of the Department of Chemistry at Colorado State University aims to develop new classes of molecules with environmentally sensitive quantum properties. Such fundamental research lies at the core of efforts to establish new systems for quantum sensing and/or quantum computing. The goal of the research is to understand how to amplify environmental detection by the quantum states of metal-ion magnetic nuclei, which would be essential for the development of next-generation quantum bits or magnetic resonance imaging sensors. The project lies at the interface of coordination chemistry, physics, and quantum information science and will thus educate scientists at all levels in these areas. Outreach activities with a local science museum and through a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) kit are planned as new ways to expose students at an early stage to the exciting but complex quantum world.The quantum states of nuclear spins in metal complexes are generally long-lived owing to weak environmental sensitivity. Understanding how to amplify this sensitivity may lead to systems that are highly environmentally sensitive yet with long-lived quantum states, which is a fundamental challenge. In this project, Dr.Joseph Zadrozny and his team will study hybrid electronic/nuclear spin systems in order to understand how to control environmental sensitivity. Three specific classes of hybrid electron/nuclear complexes will be prepared to answer the following questions: 1) Can spin-crossovers be harnessed to amplify the environmental sensing by metal-ion nuclear spins? 2) Can valence tautomerizations be used to effect environmental detection capabilities by a metal-ion nuclear spin? 3) What are the design principles for a radical satellite to best amplify the response of metal-ion spin dynamics to changes in local chemistry?This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.