Simultaneous nanoscale rheology and thermometry in complex systems using diamond nanocrystals
At a Glance
Section titled āAt a Glanceā| Metadata | Details |
|---|---|
| Publication Date | 2023-10-05 |
| Authors | Helena S. Knowles |
| Institutions | University of Cambridge |
Abstract
Section titled āAbstractāNext-generation biological sensors and diagnostic tools require high sensitivity and spatial resolution to be able to identify emergent biological behaviour. Correlating multiple interdependent parameters at the nanoscale could help uncover details of cellular response to external perturbations. Temperature and viscosity are key parameters of interest that relate to cellular energetics and metabolism, morphological changes, cell division and active transport. Cells respond to temperature through viscoadaptation, and a change in viscosity may in turn affect the local temperature profile. Diamond nanocrystals containing nitrogen-vacancy colour centres can harness quantum phenomena to perform a variety of sensing tasks such as measuring temperature, viscosity and external magnetic and electric field, at the nanoscale inside live cells. These quantum sensors can operate without suffering from bleaching and are unaffected by changes in local pH and local refractive index, remaining robust to fluctuations in background fluorescence. In this talk, I will present our latest results on performing nanoscale quantum sensing in living cells for reporting two parameters simultaneously: temperature and rheology. We implement a fast orbital tracking scheme on a quantum sensor formed of a 50-nm diamond nanocrystal containing an ensemble of ~200 nitrogen-vacancy centres. This enables 3D-localization beyond the diffraction limit in a dynamic intracellular environment, opening the door to quantum measurements using highly mobile nanoparticles. We demonstrate the operation of the quantum sensor in a living human cancer cell, extracting simultaneously information about the nanoscale temperature environment, the thermal and stochastic forces acting on the nanodiamond, and properties of its viscoelastic environment.