Quantum tools for molecular microscopy presented by Mikael Backlund, UIUC

We are a new physical chemistry lab at UIUC broadly interested in developing quantum sensing methods for applications in the molecular sciences. In this talk I will primarily discuss two studies from my previous work that set the stage for my independent lab’s ongoing and future research. First, I will discuss how framing single-molecule fluorescence microscopy as an exercise in quantum parameter estimation can yield surprising insights. Then I will describe how we leverage nitrogen-vacancy color centers in diamond to perform micro- and nanoscopic magnetometry.