The software package jMRUI with Java-based graphical user interface enables user-friendly time-domain analysis of magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) and HRMAS-NMR signals. Version 3.x has been distributed in more than 1200 groups or hospitals worldwide. The new version 4.x is a plug-in platform enabling the users to add their own algorithms. Moreover, it offers new functionalities compared to versions 3.x. The quantum-mechanical simulator based on NMR-SCOPE, the quantitation algorithm QUEST and the main MRSI functionalities are described. Quantitation results of signals obtained in vivo from a mouse and a human brain are given.

At its most fundamental level, circuit-based quantum computation relies on the application of controlled phase shift operations on quantum registers. While these operations are generally compromised by noise and imperfections, quantum gates based on geometric phase shifts can provide intrinsically fault-tolerant quantum computing. Here we demonstrate the high-fidelity realization of a recently proposed fast (non-adiabatic) and universal (non-Abelian) holonomic single-qubit gate, using an individual solid-state spin qubit under ambient conditions. This fault-tolerant quantum gate provides an elegant means for achieving the fidelity threshold indispensable for implementing quantum error correction protocols. Since we employ a spin qubit associated with a nitrogen-vacancy colour centre in diamond, this system is based on integrable and scalable hardware exhibiting strong analogy to current silicon technology. This quantum gate realization is a promising step towards viable, fault-tolerant quantum computing under ambient conditions.

1Nitrogen-Vacancy (NV) color center in diamond is a flourishing research area that, in recent years, has displayed remarkable progress. The system offers great potential for realizing futuristic applications in nanoscience, benefiting a range of fields from bioimaging to quantum-sensing. The ability to image single NV color centers in a nanodiamond and manipulate NV electron spin optically under ambient condition is the main driving force behind developments in nanoscale sensing and novel imaging techniques. In this article we discuss current status on the applications of fluorescent nanodiamonds (FND) for optical super resolution nanoscopy, magneto-optical (spinassisted) sub-wavelength localization and imaging. We present emerging applications such as single molecule spin imaging, nanoscale imaging of biomagnetic fields, sensing molecular fluctuations and temperatures in live cellular environments. We summarize other current advances and future prospects of NV diamond for imaging and sensing pertaining to bio-medical applications.

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Understanding the physical origin of noise affecting quantum systems is important for nearly every quantum application. Quantum noise spectroscopy has been employed in various quantum systems, such as superconducting qubits, NV centers and trapped ions. Traditional spectroscopy methods are usually efficient in measuring noise spectra with mostly monotonically decaying contributions. However, there are important scenarios in which the noise spectrum is broadband and non-monotonous, thus posing a challenge to existing noise spectroscopy schemes. Here, we compare several methods for noise spectroscopy: spectral decomposition based on the Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill (CPMG) sequence, the recently presented DYnamic Sensitivity COntrol (DYSCO) sequence and a modified DYSCO sequence with a Gaussian envelope (gDYSCO). The performance of the sequences is quantified by analytic and numeric determination of the frequency resolution, bandwidth and sensitivity, revealing a supremacy of gDYSCO to reconstruct non-trivial features. Utilizing an ensemble of nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond coupled to a high density 13 C nuclear spin environment, we experimentally confirm our findings. The combination of the presented schemes offers potential to record high quality noise spectra as a prerequisite to generate quantum systems unlimited by their spin-bath environment.arXiv:1803.07390v3 [quant-ph]

Geometric phases 1 and holonomies 2, 3 (their non-commuting generalizations) are a promising resource for the realization of high-fidelity quantum operations in noisy devices, due to their intrinsic fault-tolerance against noise and experimental imperfections. Despite their conceptual appeal and proven fault-tolerance 4-6 , for a long time their practical use in quantum computing was limited to proof of principle demonstrations. Only in 2012 Sjöqvist et al. 7 formulated a strategy to generate non-Abelian (i.e. holonomic) quantum gates through non-adiabatic transformation. Successful experimental demonstrations of this concept followed on various physical qubit systems [8][9][10][11] and proved the feasibility of this fast, holonomic quantum gate concept. Despite these successes, the experimental implementation of such non-Abelian quantum gates remains experimentally challenging since in general the emergence of a suitable holonomy requires encoding of the logical qubit within a three (or higher) level system being driven by two (or more) control fields. A very recent proposal by Liang et al. 12 offers an elegant solution generating a non-Abelian, geometric quantum gate on a simple, two-level system driven by one control field. Exploiting the concept of transitionless quantum driving 13 it allows the generation of universal geometric quantum gates through superadiabatic evolution. This concept thus generates fast and robust phase-based quantum gates on the basis of minimal experimental resources. Here, we report on the first such implementation of a set of non-commuting single-qubit superadiabatic geometric quantum gates on the electron spin of the negatively charged nitrogen vacancy center in diamond. The realized quantum gates combine high-fidelity and fast quantum gate performance. This provides a promising and powerful tool for large-scale quantum computing under realistic, noisy experimental conditions.

Methods and techniques to measure and image beyond the state-of-the-art have always been influential in propelling basic science and technology. Because current technologies are venturing into nanoscopic and molecular-scale fabrication, atomic-scale measurement techniques are inevitable. One such emerging sensing method uses the spins associated with nitrogen-vacancy (NV) defects in diamond. The uniqueness of this NV sensor is its atomic size and ability to perform precision sensing under ambient conditions conveniently using light and microwaves (MW). These advantages have unique applications in nanoscale sensing and imaging of magnetic fields from nuclear spins in single biomolecules. During the last few years, several encouraging results have emerged towards the realization of an NV spin-based molecular structure microscope. Here, we present a projection-reconstruction method that retrieves the three-dimensional structure of a single molecule from the nuclear spin noise signatures. We validate this method using numerical simulations and reconstruct the structure of a molecular phantom β-cyclodextrin, revealing the characteristic toroidal shape.

The Nitrogen-Vacancy (NV) defect in diamond is a unique quantum system that offers precision sensing of nanoscale physical quantities at room temperature beyond the current state-of-the-art. The benchmark parameters for nanoscale magnetometry applications are sensitivity, spectral resolution, and dynamic range. Under realistic conditions the NV sensors controlled by conventional sensing schemes suffer from limitations of these parameters. Here we experimentally show a new method called dynamical sensitivity control (DYSCO) that boost the benchmark parameters and thus extends the practical applicability of the NV spin for nanoscale sensing. In contrast to conventional dynamical decoupling schemes, where π pulse trains toggle the spin precession abruptly, the DYSCO method allows for a smooth, analog modulation of the quantum probe’s sensitivity. Our method decouples frequency selectivity and spectral resolution unconstrained over the bandwidth (1.85 MHz–392 Hz in our experiments). Using DYSCO we demonstrate high-accuracy NV magnetometry without |2π| ambiguities, an enhancement of the dynamic range by a factor of 4 · 103, and interrogation times exceeding 2 ms in off-the-shelf diamond. In a broader perspective the DYSCO method provides a handle on the inherent dynamics of quantum systems offering decisive advantages for NV centre based applications notably in quantum information and single molecule NMR/MRI.