Probing phase transitions in a soft matter system using a single spin quantum sensor
Phase transitions in soft matter systems reveal some of the interesting structural phenomena at the levels of individual entities constituting those systems. The relevant energy scales in soft matter systems are comparable to thermal energy ( k _B T ∼ 10 ^−21 J). This permits one to observe interes...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2019-01-01
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| Series: | New Journal of Physics |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/ab482d |
| _version_ | 1797750443990843392 |
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| author | Vinaya Kumar Kavatamane Dewen Duan Sri Ranjini Arumugam Nicole Raatz Sebastian Pezzagna Jan Meijer Gopalakrishnan Balasubramanian |
| author_facet | Vinaya Kumar Kavatamane Dewen Duan Sri Ranjini Arumugam Nicole Raatz Sebastian Pezzagna Jan Meijer Gopalakrishnan Balasubramanian |
| author_sort | Vinaya Kumar Kavatamane |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Phase transitions in soft matter systems reveal some of the interesting structural phenomena at the levels of individual entities constituting those systems. The relevant energy scales in soft matter systems are comparable to thermal energy ( k _B T ∼ 10 ^−21 J). This permits one to observe interesting structural dynamics even at ambient conditions. However, at the nanoscale most experimental probes currently being used to study these systems have been either plagued by low sensitivity or are invasive at molecular scales. Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond is emerging as a robust quantum probe for precision metrology of physical quantities (e.g. magnetic field, electric field, temperature, and stress). Here, we demonstrate by using NV sensors to probe spin-fluctuations and temperature simultaneously to obtain information about controlled phase changes in a soft matter material as a function of temperature. The soft matter system chosen for the study is a standard liquid crystalline (LC) material which shows distinct phases close to room temperature. Individual NV centers at depths of a few nm are used as a probe to detect magnetic signals emanating from a few molecular layers of sample on the surface of the diamond. The organization and collective dynamics of LC molecules in nanoscopic volumes are discussed. Our study aims to extend the areas of application of quantum sensing using NV centers to probe the soft matter systems, particularly those exhibiting mesophases and interesting interfacial properties. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T16:33:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-bedecbfb33f84718b1d5c87f2b356758 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1367-2630 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T16:33:48Z |
| publishDate | 2019-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | New Journal of Physics |
| spelling | doaj.art-bedecbfb33f84718b1d5c87f2b3567582023-08-08T15:24:21ZengIOP PublishingNew Journal of Physics1367-26302019-01-01211010303610.1088/1367-2630/ab482dProbing phase transitions in a soft matter system using a single spin quantum sensorVinaya Kumar Kavatamane0Dewen Duan1Sri Ranjini Arumugam2Nicole Raatz3Sebastian Pezzagna4Jan Meijer5Gopalakrishnan Balasubramanian6MPRG-Nanoscale Spin Imaging, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Am Fassberg 11, D-37077, Göttingen, GermanyMPRG-Nanoscale Spin Imaging, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Am Fassberg 11, D-37077, Göttingen, GermanyMPRG-Nanoscale Spin Imaging, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Am Fassberg 11, D-37077, Göttingen, GermanyFelix Bloch Institute for Solid State Physics, University of Leipzig , Linnéstraße 5, D-04103 Leipzig, GermanyFelix Bloch Institute for Solid State Physics, University of Leipzig , Linnéstraße 5, D-04103 Leipzig, GermanyFelix Bloch Institute for Solid State Physics, University of Leipzig , Linnéstraße 5, D-04103 Leipzig, GermanyMPRG-Nanoscale Spin Imaging, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Am Fassberg 11, D-37077, Göttingen, GermanyPhase transitions in soft matter systems reveal some of the interesting structural phenomena at the levels of individual entities constituting those systems. The relevant energy scales in soft matter systems are comparable to thermal energy ( k _B T ∼ 10 ^−21 J). This permits one to observe interesting structural dynamics even at ambient conditions. However, at the nanoscale most experimental probes currently being used to study these systems have been either plagued by low sensitivity or are invasive at molecular scales. Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond is emerging as a robust quantum probe for precision metrology of physical quantities (e.g. magnetic field, electric field, temperature, and stress). Here, we demonstrate by using NV sensors to probe spin-fluctuations and temperature simultaneously to obtain information about controlled phase changes in a soft matter material as a function of temperature. The soft matter system chosen for the study is a standard liquid crystalline (LC) material which shows distinct phases close to room temperature. Individual NV centers at depths of a few nm are used as a probe to detect magnetic signals emanating from a few molecular layers of sample on the surface of the diamond. The organization and collective dynamics of LC molecules in nanoscopic volumes are discussed. Our study aims to extend the areas of application of quantum sensing using NV centers to probe the soft matter systems, particularly those exhibiting mesophases and interesting interfacial properties.https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/ab482dnitrogen-vacancydiamondquantum sensorliquid crystalsspin noise spectroscopynuclear magnetic resonance |
| spellingShingle | Vinaya Kumar Kavatamane Dewen Duan Sri Ranjini Arumugam Nicole Raatz Sebastian Pezzagna Jan Meijer Gopalakrishnan Balasubramanian Probing phase transitions in a soft matter system using a single spin quantum sensor New Journal of Physics nitrogen-vacancy diamond quantum sensor liquid crystals spin noise spectroscopy nuclear magnetic resonance |
| title | Probing phase transitions in a soft matter system using a single spin quantum sensor |
| title_full | Probing phase transitions in a soft matter system using a single spin quantum sensor |
| title_fullStr | Probing phase transitions in a soft matter system using a single spin quantum sensor |
| title_full_unstemmed | Probing phase transitions in a soft matter system using a single spin quantum sensor |
| title_short | Probing phase transitions in a soft matter system using a single spin quantum sensor |
| title_sort | probing phase transitions in a soft matter system using a single spin quantum sensor |
| topic | nitrogen-vacancy diamond quantum sensor liquid crystals spin noise spectroscopy nuclear magnetic resonance |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/ab482d |
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