Ania Jayich (UCSB)

Solid state spin qubits, in particular the nitrogen vacancy (NV) center in diamond, offer a path towards truly nanoscale imaging of condensed matter and biological systems with sensitivity to single nuclear spins. Here I discuss our NV-based magnetic imaging experiments as applied to condensed matter systems, where we have imaged current flow patterns in graphene in order to reveal the transition from ohmic to electron-collision-dominated flow regimes. A grand challenge to improving the spatial resolution and magnetic sensitivity of the NV is mitigating surface-induced quantum decoherence, which I will discuss in the second part of this talk. Decoherence at interfaces is a universal problem that affects many quantum technologies, but the microscopic origins are as yet unclear. Our studies guide the ongoing development of quantum control and materials control, pushing towards long-term goals of NV-based single nuclear spin imaging and entanglement-assisted sensing.

Research interests: quantum sensing, entanglement, diamond, solid-state qubits, decoherence