Developing an inductive spectrometer for electron paramagnetic resonance detection and imaging at the micron scale using superconducting quantum circuits.

Project Information

INDIGO

Grant agreement ID: 101039953

DOI

10.3030/101039953

EC signature date 15 March 2022

Start date 1 October 2022

End date 30 September 2028

Funded under

• European Research Council (ERC)

Total cost

€ 1 992 500,00

EU contribution

€ 1 992 500,00

Coordinated by

CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS
France

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - INDIGO (Developing an inductive spectrometer for electron paramagnetic resonance detection and imaging at the micron scale using superconducting quantum circuits.)

Reporting period: 2022-10-01 to 2025-03-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) is a powerful method for analysing matter. An EPR magnetic resonance spectrometer identifies and characterises paramagnetic species, generally by measuring the emission or absorption of microwaves by their spins. As the spins are weakly coupled to the microwaves, this tool can only be used for sufficiently large and concentrated samples. In this project, the scientists want to adapt techniques derived from quantum superconducting circuits to considerably increase the sensitivity of the detection to probe new types of samples. Ultimately, using these circuits made from superconducting materials and enabling the detection and manipulation of electromagnetic fields with a sensitivity of the order of a single photon will enable us to probe and image micron-sized samples, coming from field of applications such as condensed matter, chemistry and biology.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Because of the weak spin-microwave coupling, conventional EPR spectroscopy has a low sensitivity which limits its use to samples of macroscopic size. Recent experiments demonstrated that superconducting quantum circuits have the potential to drastically enhance the spin detection sensitivity down to the detection of ~10 spins within 5 fL. However, these demonstrations have so far been done using well-known model spin systems and in restrictive conditions: very narrow spin and detector linewidths, extremely low microwave losses, and low static magnetic fields. They are thus incompatible with modus operandi that are typical in EPR spectroscopy: probing aqueous or non-crystalline samples, applying strong magnetic fields, or studying species with short coherence lifetimes or spin-spin interactions which require large excitation bandwidth. The restrictive conditions of these proof-of-concepts are however not a prerequisite for achieving high-sensitivity EPR detection. Using recent advances made in the fabrication process and in the design of quantum circuits, we want to lift these restrictions and build a quantum-circuit based EPR spectrometer able to probe a large scope of spin species and to detect, characterize and image EPR signals in micron-sized samples. We meet this goal by developing a resilient high-sensitivity spectrometer able to probe spins with short coherence times and characterize spin-spin interactions. Our work so far focused on removing spurious signals emanating from microscopic defects that do not corresponds to the samples to be studied. Removing these signals has broad interest for the community of superconducting quantum circuits because they limit their performances.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

We have characterized magnetic microscopic defects in NbTiN superconducting microwave resonators, and dielectric microscopic defects in superconducting parametric amplifiers.