Project description
Magnetic resonance at the single-spin scale
Magnetic resonance spectroscopy is a tool for studying materials, molecules, and biological systems. It probes the behaviour of atomic nuclei and unpaired electrons. However, conventional methods require large ensembles of identical objects, limiting resolution for inhomogeneous samples. With this in mind, the ERC-funded ONESPIN project aims to perform magnetic resonance on individual paramagnetic centres. Using a novel fluorescence-based detection method at 10 mK with single-microwave-photon detectors, researchers will capture the first single-centre-resolved spectra of organic radicals, metal ions, enzymes, and catalytic centres. The project also targets nuclear-spin imaging around individual centres and magnetic resonance imaging with 10 nm resolution, thereby developing groundbreaking techniques for ultra-high-resolution spectroscopy and molecular imaging.
Objective
Magnetic resonance spectroscopy studies matter by probing the resonant frequencies and couplings of paramagnetic nuclei and unpaired electrons. It is a cornerstone of modern science, with numerous applications in condensed-matter physics, materials science, chemistry, biology, and medical imaging. A counterpart is low sensitivity. Conventional spectrometers need large numbers of identical objects to detect a signal. This is an issue for systems with inhomogeneous properties, since their ensemble linewidth is then larger than the linewidth of the individual objects, which limits spectral resolution.
The vision of ONESPIN is to apply magnetic resonance spectroscopy to individual objects, based on a new method recently developed in my laboratory. We detect individual electronic paramagnetic centers at 10mK by counting the fluorescence microwave photon emitted when they relax radiatively to the ground state, using a single-microwave-photon detector based on a superconducting qubit. The first project objective is to apply this fluorescence detection method to a large variety of individual paramagnetic centers (organic radicals, transition-metal-ion-containing molecules, enzymes, catalytic centers), which will yield the first single-center-resolved spectra on these systems. The second objective is high-resolution spectroscopy and imaging of the nuclear spins surrounding an individual paramagnetic center by combining hyperfine spectroscopy with fluorescence detection. We will obtain the first magnetic resonance images of individual molecules with single-nuclear-spin resolution, a long-standing dream of magnetic resonance. The third objective is magnetic resonance imaging with 10nm resolution of individual paramagnetic centers in a micron-scale sample by combining magnetic gradients with fluorescence detectionWe will develop new methodologies for single electron- and nuclear-spin magnetic resonance spectroscopy, using microwave photon counting at millikelvin temperatures.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- engineering and technology electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering electronic engineering computer hardware quantum computers
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins enzymes
- natural sciences physical sciences electromagnetism and electronics superconductivity
- natural sciences physical sciences theoretical physics particle physics photons
- natural sciences physical sciences optics spectroscopy
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Programme(s)
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Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
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Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
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Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2024-ADG
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75015 Paris
France
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