Researchers develop a new type of microscopy

Quantum sensors Researchers develop a new type of microscopy

2025-03-10 Source: TU Munich | Translated by AI 2 min Reading Time

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Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have invented an entirely new field of microscopy, nuclear spin microscopy. The team can make the magnetic signals of nuclear magnetic resonance visible with a microscope. Quantum sensors convert the signals into light pulses, which then allow for an extremely high-resolution optical representation.

TUM researchers Karl D. Briegel (left) with Prof. Dominik B. Bucher and their new microscope.(Image: Christoph Hohmann / MCQST) — TUM researchers Karl D. Briegel (left) with Prof. Dominik B. Bucher and their new microscope.
(Image: Christoph Hohmann / MCQST)

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is known for its ability to look deep into the human body and create images of organs and tissues. The new method published in the journal Nature Communications extends this technique to the realm of microscopic details. "The quantum sensors used allow magnetic resonance signals to be converted into optical signals. These signals are captured with a camera and displayed as images," explains Dominik Bucher, professor of quantum sensing and researcher at the Excellence Cluster Munich Center for Quantum Science and Technology (MCQST).

Diamond chip serves as a quantum sensor

The resolution of the novel MRI microscope reaches ten millionths of a meter – so fine that even the structures of individual cells can be made visible in the future. The heart of the new microscope is a tiny diamond chip. This diamond, specially prepared at the atomic level, serves as a highly sensitive quantum sensor for MRI magnetic fields.

When irradiated with laser light, it generates a fluorescent signal that contains the information of the MRI signal.
This signal is captured with a high-speed camera and enables images with significantly higher resolution down to the microscopic level.

Versatile applications possible

According to the researchers, the potential applications of nuclear spin microscopy are promising:

In cancer research, individual cells could be examined in detail to gain new insights into tumor growth and spread.
In pharmaceutical research, the technique could be used to efficiently test and optimize active substances at the molecular level.
It also offers great potential in materials science, for example, for analyzing the chemical composition of thin-film materials or catalysts.

The team has filed a patent for their development and plans to further develop the technology to make it even more precise and faster.

The fusion of quantum physics and imaging opens up entirely new possibilities for understanding the world at the molecular level.

Karl D. Briegel

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