Abstract:
Color centers are atomic defects in diamond that possess electronic and nuclear spins. The rapid progress of experiments with color centers in diamond indicates that they are promising systems for quantum information processing, and more important for quantum sensing (imaging) under ambient conditions.
We have devised strategies to achieve highly sensitive measurement of weak signals, such as magnetic field, electric field, pressure, and temperature in the presence of ambient noise, while achieving nanometer spatial resolution. We are exploring various applications of these strategies ranging from quantum information processing, fundamental physics, to material science as well as biology including the structure of proteins and the possible role of quantum effects in biological functions.