High-field DNP via Substitutional Nitrogen Impurities in Diamond

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With support from the Chemical Measurement and Imaging Program in the Division of Chemistry, Professor Ramanathan's group at Dartmouth College is working to improve the sensitivity of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy which is widely used to characterize chemical, material, and biological systems. NMR also underpins magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) which is widely used for clinical diagnosis and brain mapping. The techniques developed by the Ramanathan group will enable NMR studies of smaller sample volumes allowing the study of novel materials and chemistry at the nano and microscale. The control of quantum systems, a key element of the project, is central to the future development of quantum technologies, a strategic national priority. The project will train multiple undergraduate and graduate students and will also develop a portable magnetic resonance laboratory to demonstrate fundamental quantum phenomena to middle- and high-school students and the broader community.Room-temperature dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) via substitutional nitrogen or P1 centers in diamond will be used to hyperpolarize nuclear spins, both within and external to the diamond. The goals are to (i) identify the sample characteristics and experimental conditions that give rise to the largest DNP enhancements; (ii) further improve the DNP enhancements by hyperpolarizing the P1 centers via their coupling to optically-excited NV centers; and (iii) investigate the use of P1 centers in diamonds to enhance the signals of nuclei outside the diamond comparing both direct enhancement from electrons to nuclei outside the diamond and indirect enhancement where the transfer is relayed via the 13C nuclear spins in the diamond. These studies will contribute broadly to the development of methods for magnetic resonance at the mesoscale.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.