Single-spin magnetometry with multi-pulse sensing sequences

We experimentally demonstrate single-spin magnetometry with multi-pulse sensing sequences. The use of multi-pulse sequences can greatly increase the sensing time per measurement shot, resulting in enhanced ac magnetic field sensitivity. We theoretically derive and experimentally verify the optimal number of sensing cycles, for which the effects of decoherence and increased sensing time are balanced. We perform these experiments for oscillating magnetic fields with fixed phase as well as for fields with random phase. Finally, by varying the phase and frequency of the ac magnetic field, we measure the full frequency-filtering characteristics of different multi-pulse schemes and discuss their use in magnetometry applications.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures. Final versio

Magnetic-domain-controlled vortex pinning in a superconductor/ferromagnet bilayer

Vortex pinning in a type-II superconducting Pb film covering a Co/Pt multilayer with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy is investigated. Different stable magnetic domain patterns like band and bubble domains can be created in the Co/Pt multilayer, clearly influencing the vortex pinning in the superconducting Pb layer. Most effective pinning is observed for the bubble domain state. We demonstrate that the pinning properties of the superconductor/ferromagnet bilayer can be controlled by tuning the size, density and magnetization direction of the bubbles.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, accepted for AP

A low noise, high thermal stability, 0.1 K test facility for the Planck HFI bolometers

We are developing a facility which will be used to characterize the bolometric detectors for Planck, an ESA mission to investigate the Cosmic Microwave Background. The bolometers operate at 0.1 K, employing neutron-transmutation doped (NTD) Ge thermistors with resistances of several megohms to achieve NEPs~1×10^(–17) W Hz^(–1/2). Characterization of the intrinsic noise of the bolometers at frequencies as low as 0.010 Hz dictates a test apparatus thermal stability of 40 nK Hz^(–1/2) to that frequency. This temperature stability is achieved via a multi-stage isolation and control geometry with high resolution thermometry implemented with NTD Ge thermistors, JFET source followers, and dedicated lock-in amplifiers. The test facility accommodates 24 channels of differential signal readout, for measurement of bolometer V(I) characteristics and intrinsic noise. The test facility also provides for modulated radiation in the submillimeter band incident on the bolometers, for measurement of the optical speed-of-response; this illumination can be reduced below detectable limits without interrupting cryogenic operation. A commercial Oxford Instruments dilution refrigerator provides the cryogenic environment for the test facility

Effect of phospholipids and bile acids on cholesterol nucleation time and vesicular/micellar cholesterol in gallbladder bile of patients with cholesterol stones

Supersaturation and rapid nucleation of cholesterol in bile are of key importance in the pathogenesis of cholesterol gallstones. While the effects of bile acids and phospholipids on cholesterol saturation of bile have been extensively studied, their influence on the cholesterol nucleation time has not been compared. We, therefore, investigated whether increases of bile acid or phospholipid concentrations in bile by in vitro supplementation affect the cholesterol nucleation time. Bile samples were obtained at surgery from patients with cholesterol gallstones. Prior to the nucleation assay the bile samples were divided into 0.5-ml aliquots and supplemented with 1.25, 2.5, 5.0, and 10.0 mumol/ml of different phosphatidylcholines (PC-dimyristoyl, PC- dipalmitoyl, PC-distearoyl, and extracted biliary PCs) or with 5.0, 10.0, and 20.0 mumol/ml of bile acids (glycine or taurine conjugates of cholic acid, deoxycholic acid, or chenodeoxycholic acid). The increase of phosphatidylcholine or bile acid concentration decreased the mean cholesterol saturation index to a similar extent (PC: 0.1-0.3; BA: 0.1- 0.2). Supplementations of bile with increasing amounts of synthetic or biliary PCs caused a marked prolongation of the nucleation time in bile from 1.5 +/- 0.2 up to > or = 21 days or 2.5 +/- 0.7 up to > or = 21 days. Concurrently, biliary cholesterol was shifted from vesicles to mixed micelles and the cholesterol/phospholipid ratio of the remaining vesicles was progressively lowered. In contrast, the addition of bile acids to gallbladder bile did not affect the cholesterol nucleation time (2.2 +/- 0.3 days), the percentage of vesicular cholesterol, or the cholesterol/phospholipid ratio of vesicles and micelles

The conduction pathway of potassium channels is water free under physiological conditions.

Ion conduction through potassium channels is a fundamental process of life. On the basis of crystallographic data, it was originally proposed that potassium ions and water molecules are transported through the selectivity filter in an alternating arrangement, suggesting a "water-mediated" knock-on mechanism. Later on, this view was challenged by results from molecular dynamics simulations that revealed a "direct" knock-on mechanism where ions are in direct contact. Using solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance techniques tailored to characterize the interaction between water molecules and the ion channel, we show here that the selectivity filter of a potassium channel is free of water under physiological conditions. Our results are fully consistent with the direct knock-on mechanism of ion conduction but contradict the previously proposed water-mediated knock-on mechanism

Bootstrap tomography of high-precision pulses for quantum control

Long-time dynamical decoupling and quantum control of qubits require high-precision control pulses. Full characterization (quantum tomography) of imperfect pulses presents a bootstrap problem: tomography requires initial states of a qubit which can not be prepared without imperfect pulses. We present a protocol for pulse error analysis, specifically tailored for a wide range of the single solid-state electron spins. Using a single electron spin of a nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in diamond, we experimentally verify the correctness of the protocol, and demonstrate its usefulness for quantum control tasks