A survey of elementary school banking in New England

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston Universit

Magnetometry with nitrogen-vacancy defects in diamond

The isolated electronic spin system of the Nitrogen-Vacancy (NV) centre in diamond offers unique possibilities to be employed as a nanoscale sensor for detection and imaging of weak magnetic fields. Magnetic imaging with nanometric resolution and field detection capabilities in the nanotesla range are enabled by the atomic-size and exceptionally long spin-coherence times of this naturally occurring defect. The exciting perspectives that ensue from these characteristics have triggered vivid experimental activities in the emerging field of "NV magnetometry". It is the purpose of this article to review the recent progress in high-sensitivity nanoscale NV magnetometry, generate an overview of the most pertinent results of the last years and highlight perspectives for future developments. We will present the physical principles that allow for magnetic field detection with NV centres and discuss first applications of NV magnetometers that have been demonstrated in the context of nano magnetism, mesoscopic physics and the life sciences.Comment: Review article, 28 pages, 16 figure

Coherent population trapping of a single nuclear spin under ambient conditions

Coherent control of quantum systems has far-reaching implications in quantum engineering. In this context, coherent population trapping (CPT) involving dark resonances has played a prominent role, leading to a wealth of major applications including laser cooling of atoms and molecules, optical magnetometry, light storage and highly precise atomic clocks. Extending CPT methods to individual solid-state quantum systems has been only achieved in cryogenic environments for electron spin impurities and superconducting circuits. Here, we demonstrate efficient CPT of a single nuclear spin in a room temperature solid. To this end, we make use of a three-level system with a $\Lambda$-configuration in the microwave domain, which consists of nuclear spin states addressed through their hyperfine coupling to the electron spin of a single nitrogen-vacancy defect in diamond. Dark state pumping requires a relaxation mechanism which, in atomic systems, is simply provided by spontaneous emission. In this work, the relaxation process is externally controlled through incoherent optical pumping and separated in time from consecutive coherent microwave excitations of the nuclear spin $\Lambda$-system. Such a pumping scheme with controlled relaxation allows us (i) to monitor the sequential accumulation of population into the dark state and (ii) to reach a new regime of CPT dynamics for which periodic arrays of dark resonances can be observed, owing to multiple constructive interferences. This work offers new prospects for quantum state preparation, information storage in hybrid quantum systems and metrology.Comment: 13 pages including supplementary information, links to figures correcte

Coherent population trapping of a single nuclear spin under ambient conditions

Coherent control of quantum systems has far-reaching implications in quantum engineering. In this context, coherent population trapping (CPT) involving dark resonances has played a prominent role, leading to a wealth of major applications including laser cooling of atoms and molecules, optical magnetometry, light storage and highly precise atomic clocks. Extending CPT methods to individual solid-state quantum systems has been only achieved in cryogenic environments for electron spin impurities and superconducting circuits. Here, we demonstrate efficient CPT of a single nuclear spin in a room temperature solid. To this end, we make use of a three-level system with a $\Lambda$-configuration in the microwave domain, which consists of nuclear spin states addressed through their hyperfine coupling to the electron spin of a single nitrogen-vacancy defect in diamond. Dark state pumping requires a relaxation mechanism which, in atomic systems, is simply provided by spontaneous emission. In this work, the relaxation process is externally controlled through incoherent optical pumping and separated in time from consecutive coherent microwave excitations of the nuclear spin $\Lambda$-system. Such a pumping scheme with controlled relaxation allows us (i) to monitor the sequential accumulation of population into the dark state and (ii) to reach a new regime of CPT dynamics for which periodic arrays of dark resonances can be observed, owing to multiple constructive interferences. This work offers new prospects for quantum state preparation, information storage in hybrid quantum systems and metrology.Comment: 13 pages including supplementary information, links to figures correcte

Magnetic-field-dependent photodynamics of single NV defects in diamond: Application to qualitative all-optical magnetic imaging

Magnetometry and magnetic imaging with nitrogen-vacancy (NV) defects in diamond rely on the optical detection of electron spin resonance (ESR). However, this technique is inherently limited to magnetic fields that are weak enough to avoid electron spin mixing. Here we focus on the high off-axis magnetic field regime for which spin mixing alters the NV defect spin dynamics. We first study in a quantitative manner the dependence of the NV defect optical properties on the magnetic field vector B. Magnetic-field-dependent time-resolved photoluminescence (PL) measurements are compared to a seven-level model of the NV defect that accounts for field-induced spin mixing. The model reproduces the decreases in (i) ESR contrast, (ii) PL intensity and (iii) excited level lifetime with an increasing off-axis magnetic field. We next demonstrate that those effects can be used to perform all-optical magnetic imaging in the high off-axis magnetic field regime. Using a scanning NV defect microscope, we map the stray field of a magnetic hard disk through both PL and fluorescence lifetime imaging. This all-optical method for high magnetic field imaging at the nanoscale might be of interest in the field of nanomagnetism, where samples producing fields in excess of several tens of milliteslas are typical

Treponema denticola in Disseminating Endodontic Infections

Treponema denticola is a consensus periodontal pathogen that has recently been associated with endodontic pathology. In this study, the effect of mono-infection of the dental pulp with T. denticola and with polymicrobial “red-complex” organisms (RC) (Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tannerella forsythia, and T. denticola) in inducing disseminating infections in wild-type (WT) and severe-combined-immunodeficiency (SCID) mice was analyzed. After 21 days, a high incidence (5/10) of orofacial abscesses was observed in SCID mice mono-infected with T. denticola, whereas abscesses were rare in SCID mice infected with the red-complex organisms or in wildtype mice. Splenomegaly was present in all groups, but only mono-infected SCID mice had weight loss. T. denticola DNA was detected in the spleen, heart, and brain of mono-infected SCID mice and in the spleen from mono-infected wild-type mice, which also had more periapical bone resorption. The results indicate that T. denticola has high pathogenicity, including dissemination to distant organs, further substantiating its potential importance in oral and linked systemic conditions