Electron Induced Nanoscale Nuclear Spin Relaxation Probed by Hyperpolarization Injection
At a Glance
Section titled āAt a Glanceā| Metadata | Details |
|---|---|
| Publication Date | 2023-07-07 |
| Journal | Physical Review Letters |
| Authors | William Beatrez, Arjun Pillai, Otto Janes, Dieter Suter, Ashok Ajoy |
| Institutions | University of California, Berkeley, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research |
| Citations | 8 |
Abstract
Section titled āAbstractāWe report on experiments that quantify the role of a central electronic spin as a relaxation source for nuclear spins in its nanoscale environment. Our strategy exploits hyperpolarization injection from the electron as a means to controllably probe an increasing number of nuclear spins in the bath and subsequently interrogate them with high fidelity. Our experiments are focused on a model system of a nitrogen vacancy center electronic spin surrounded by several hundred ^{13}C nuclear spins. We observe that the ^{13}C transverse spin relaxation times vary significantly with the extent of hyperpolarization injection, allowing the ability to measure the influence of electron-mediated relaxation extending over several nanometers. These results suggest interesting new means to spatially discriminate nuclear spins in a nanoscale environment and have direct relevance to dynamic nuclear polarization and quantum sensors and memories constructed from hyperpolarized nuclei.