RETRACTED: Single-proton spin detection by diamond magnetometry.

Loretz, M; Rosskopf, T; Boss, J M; Pezzagna, S; Meijer, J; Degen, C L · Science · 2014

basic_science · Level V

Where this comes from

Abstract

Extending magnetic resonance imaging to the atomic scale has been a long-standing aspiration, driven by the prospect of directly mapping atomic positions in molecules with three-dimensional spatial resolution. We report detection of individual, isolated proton spins by a nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in a diamond chip covered by an inorganic salt. The single-proton identity was confirmed by the Zeeman effect and by a quantum coherent rotation of the weakly coupled nuclear spin. Using the hyperfine field of the NV center as an imaging gradient, we determined proton-NV distances of less than 1 nm.