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Quantum Probes for High-Pressure Superconductivity

Project description

Probing the properties of pressure-induced superconductivity of super-hydrides

Superconductivity of hydrogen-rich compounds – super-hydrides – can be achieved under pressures near 100 GPa. Such high pressures can be reached in diamond anvil cells (DACs), but the extremely small sample volume prevents using non-optical detection methods to probe its properties. The ERC-funded QPRESSE project aims to integrate nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centres in the DAC to use the optically detected magnetic resonance of the NV electronic spin to image the Meissner effect. It has engineered the technique to reach the required pressure. Using NV sensing on a synchrotron beamline, it will determine the crystal structure of the super-hydride after synthesis in the DAC. Then, using spatial detection coupled with noise spectroscopy, it will measure its temporal current fluctuations.

Objective

Materials under high pressure exhibit exciting topics such as the superconductivity (SC) of hydrogen-rich molecular compounds (super-hydrides) in the long standing search of room-temperature SC. While pressures above 100 GPa can be routinely created in a diamond anvil cell (DAC), the tiny sample volume almost precludes the use of non-optical detection schemes to probe the sample properties. The project idea is to integrate nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in the DAC and use the optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) of the NV electronic spin to image the Meissner effect. The project relies on our first results where we engineered NV centers on the tip of a diamond anvil and adapted quantum sensing methods to detect pressure-induced magnetic and SC transitions under tens of GPa.
By controlling the stress distribution to achieve hydrostatic conditions that preserve the NV symmetry, we have extended this method above 100 GPa, reaching the pressure range of existence of SC in super-hydrides. These materials need to be synthetized at high pressure by laser heating which induces strong inhomogeneities with micron scale. We will use of widefield NV magnetometry to locally image the Meissner effect and the flux trapping in the SC grains whereas the conventional measurements average over the entire DAC geometry and therefore discard all local information. By operating NV sensing on a synchrotron beamline, we will determine the crystal structure of the super-hydrides after the synthesis in the DAC. We will finally couple the spatial detection with noise spectroscopy to measure the temporal current fluctuations in the SC. These methods will be implemented in parallel on Hg-doped cuprates as testbed systems.
In a complementary task we will investigate the implementation of NV-based microscale nuclear magnetic resonance in the DAC. Our goal will be to exploit the sensitivity of a dense ensemble of NV centers to detect the chemical shift of the nuclear spins in the sample.

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HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants

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Call for proposal

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(opens in new window) ERC-2023-ADG

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Host institution

ECOLE NORMALE SUPERIEURE PARIS-SACLAY
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 1 966 268,75
Address
4 AVENUE DES SCIENCES
91190 GIF-SUR-YVETTE
France

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Region
Ile-de-France Ile-de-France Essonne
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 2 128 210,00

Beneficiaries (3)

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