Artist impression, based on the original measurement data, which changes the atom’s nuclear spin separate quantum states. The turn -up was seen as a fluctuation in an electric current passing through the atom on a second -time time scale. Credit: Scixel
Researchers at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands have been able to look forward to the magnetic nucleus of the atom switch in real time. He read the nuclear “spin” through electrons in the same atom through the needle of scanning tunneling microscope.
The surprising thing is that the spin remained stable for several seconds, offering the possibility of better control of the magnetic nucleus. Research, appeared in Nature communicationsA step forward for quantum sensing on nuclear scale.
The scanning tunneling microscope (STM) consists of a nuclear sharp needle that can “feel” to the surface and make images with nuclear resolution. Or, as precise, STM can only feel electrons who surround the atom nucleus. In the atom, both electrons and nucleus are potentially small magnets.
Depending on the type of atom, they take a quantity of each in the name of “spin”, the quantum mechanical equivalent of magnetism. The movement of individual electron spin with STM was first obtained a decade ago. The TU Delift Research Group, headed by Professor Sander Outta, wanted to know: Can he use STM to read nuclear spin over time?
Reading nuclear spin
The STM is not directly sensitive to nuclear rotation, so the team had to use the electron to read the nuclear spin indirectly. “The general idea was demonstrated a few years ago, in which the so -called hyperfine interaction between electron and nuclear rotation was used,” Oti explained. “However, it was too slow to get the movement of nuclear spin over time.”
The graphical summary of the experience. A voltage signal is sent to the atom via STM needle that takes nuclear spin. Of the frequency 8 of this signal, only 1 quantum is similar to the energy that can occupy a nuclear spin. Over time, passing through the current atom is a switch between high cost (red) and low price (brown color) respectively, which shows that nuclear spin lives in the selected quantum state or in other 7 states. The spin can be seen to stay in the same state for a significant part of a second. In the more control version of the experiment, the nuclear spin was found to be stable for 5 seconds. Credit: Sander OT
The first authors came out to measure the Evetestorate and the Madness Lee atom, which is known to carry a nuclear spin. For their enthusiasm, they, in real time, witnessed the signal switching between two separate levels, their computer on the screen.
“We have been able to show that this switching turns from a quantum state to another, and returns again,” says Stolt.
He vowed that it takes about five seconds before the spin changes, which is far longer than many other quantum systems available for STM. For example, the life of the electron spin in the same atom is close to 100 nano -seconds.
Single shot Red Out
Since researchers can measure the condition of the nuclear spin faster and (mostly) without being returned (mostly), they obtained the so -called “single shot red out”. This opens up interesting experimental possibilities to control nuclear spin. In addition, the basic progress in the redout and control of nuclear rotation at one level, in the long term, can help with applications such as nuclear scale quantum simulation or quantum sensing.
“The first step of any new experimental Frontier is being able to measure it, and that is what we have been able to do for nuclear war,” says Stolte.
More information:
Evetest Wolt Et El, Single Shot Red Out of Atom Atom Atom’s Atomic Atom’s Atom’s Atom Nature communications (2025) DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-63232-5
Provided by the Delift University of Technology
Reference: Quantum researchers observe the magnet’s real -time switching in the Heart of Single Atom (2025, September 2).
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