Chemically Engineered Quantum Materials: Encapsulation for Spatially Controlled Spins as a Quantum Sensor

量子技术具有巨大的潜力，可以通过增强网络安全、加快通信技术以及医学和医疗保健革命，带来全球繁荣。为了实现这些目标，我们必须首先开发出能够支持这些先决条件的材料。在这个项目中，我们专注于“自旋”技术及其作为极其敏感的微波放大器的潜力，被称为MASER，它代表“受激辐射的微波放大”，相当于激光的微波。微波是现代无线技术的语言——蓝牙、4G和5G、移动通信、深空成像，甚至磁共振成像（MRI）等医疗扫描仪，都依赖于我们发送和接收微波信号的能力。唉，即使在今天，来自地球的噪音和任何热源都会干扰我们的信号，以至于微弱的信号变得无法探测。这种热噪声是核磁共振成像扫描仪需要这么长时间的原因，也是我们最灵敏的望远镜在太空寒冷真空中工作的原因。然而，最初在20世纪50年代发现的一种量子技术——微波激射器，最近重新焕发了活力，它可能使我们能够在室温下从噪声中探测到这些极其微弱的信号。微波激射器材料使用分子内特定电子跃迁发出的贡献能量来工作，我们可以通过首先用激光照射材料来诱导。这产生了一连串的事件，产生了一个人为的低噪音环境，并启动了一种状态，在这种状态下，分子群对特定频率的微波光子的刺激很敏感。例如，当受到微波输入信号的刺激时，所有这些分子都以精确的信号频率发射，有效地放大了信号。然而，目前的微波激射器材料虽然非同寻常，但效率太低，体积太大，无法进行商业开发。这就是为什么本提案旨在大幅提高微波激射器的增益（即放大能力和信噪比），这是操作的先决条件，并减小微波激射器的尺寸，使其变得更加实用。这将通过对微波激射器材料进行有针对性的化学改变来实现，这将降低有效噪声温度，增加能够在任何时候放大信号的分子数量，并缩小发射频率以更接近输入信号。此外，我们寻求通过使用尖端的分子沉积技术和更小的支持光学和电气支持来使MASER设备小型化。

Quantum technologies have tremendous potential to bring about global prosperity through increased cyber security, faster communications technology and a revolution in medicine and healthcare. To accomplish these goals we must first develop the materials that are capable of supporting the pre-requisite properties. In this project, we focus on "spin" technologies and their potential as extremely sensitive microwave amplifiers, known as a MASER, which stands for "microwave amplification by stimulated emission of radiation", the microwave equivalent of a LASER. Microwaves are the language of modern day wireless technology - Bluetooth, 4G and 5G, mobile communications, deep space imaging and even medical scanners such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), all rely on our ability to send and receive microwave signals. Alas, even today, noise from the earth and any source of heat can scramble our signals such that weak signals become impossible to detect. This thermal noise is the reason the MRI scanners take so long, and why our most sensitive telescopes operate in the cold vacuum of space. MASERs however, a recently rejuvenated form of quantum technology which was originally discovered in the 1950s, may enable us to detect these extremely weak signals from amongst the noise and at room temperature. MASER material operate using contribution energy emitted from specific electron transitions within a molecule that we are able to induce by first shining the material with a laser. This generates a cascade of events that produces an artificially low-noise environment, and initiates a state where groups of molecules are sensitive to stimulation by specific frequencies of microwave photons. When stimulated by a microwave input signal for example, all of these molecules emit at precisely the frequency of the signal, effectively amplifying it. However, while extraordinary, current MASER materials are too inefficient and large for commercial exploitation. That's why this proposal aims to vastly improve the MASER gain (i.e. amplification ability and signal-to-noise ratio), the pre-requisite conditions of operation, and reduce the size of the MASER to become wholly more practicable. This will be accomplished by making targeted chemical changes to MASER materials, that will reduce the effective noise temperature, increase the number of molecules that are capable of amplifying a signal at any one time, and narrow the frequency of emission to more closely match that of the input signal. Furthermore, we seek to miniaturise MASER devices by using cutting-edge molecular deposition techniques and much smaller supporting optical and electrical support.