Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centres in diamond are marvellous quantum bits because single spins with long coherence times can be controlled and optically probed at room temperature. This has led to proposals and preliminary demonstrations showing the feasibility of using an NV centre to detect the magnetic resonance of single electronic and nuclear spins. Using this to build a spectrometer for electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) would revolutionise these already powerful techniques by reducing the required sample size by a factor of a billion.

EPR and NMR reveal the quantum structure of samples by measuring a spectrum of resonances. More interesting samples are more complex, with correspondingly more resonances, and higher magnetic fields are required to resolve these resonances. We have developed world-leading equipment for EPR and NMR at high magnetic fields, including the most precise EPR spectrometer ever. Additionally we do NV optically-detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) at low magnetic fields. In this project you will combine these areas of expertise to study the behaviour of NV centres at high magnetic fields, with a view to building a high-field magnetic resonance spectrometer with NV ODMR detection.

We are looking for highly motivated people with a strong background in physical sciences, a love of technology and the desire to work in teams. We offer you a lab with extraordinary equipment and the chance to follow up on your own ideas.

For further information contact Gavin Morley (gavin.morley@warwick.ac.uk)