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An MRI of a Single Atom

posted by martyb on Tuesday July 02 2019, @02:00AM   
from the make-a-nice-hard-drive-read-head dept.

RandomFactor writes:

Researchers at the Ewha Womans University's Center for Quantum Nanoscience have successfully performed the world's smallest MRI visualizing the magnetic field of a single atom.

Through precise preparation of the sample, [iron and titanium] atoms were readily visible in the microscope. The researchers then used the microscope's tip like an MRI machine to map the three-dimensional magnetic field created by the atoms with unprecedented resolution. In order to do so, they attached another spin cluster to the sharp metal tip of their microscope. Similar to everyday magnets, the two spins would attract or repel each other depending on their relative positions. By sweeping the tip spin cluster over the atom on the surface, the researchers were able to map out the magnetic interaction.

The researchers now intend to use the single-atom grade MRI to investigate more molecules and magnetic materials on the nanoscale.

"We now plan to study a variety of systems using our microscopic MRI." The ability to analyze the magnetic structure on the nanoscale can help researchers to develop new materials and drugs.

The techniques additionally have potential application controlling quantum systems in quantum computing.

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Original Submission

• No resonance, no MRI No resonance, no MRI (Score: 5, Informative) by nishi.b on Tuesday July 02 2019, @07:01AM (2 children)

  by nishi.b (4243) on Tuesday July 02 2019, @07:01AM (#862308)

  The description is very different from an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) as there is no resonance here.
  For MRI, you put your sample in a high magnetic field to more or less aligne all spins, compute the frequency of oscillation around this position for the atom of interest (e.g. hydrogen for medical MRI), then you send a radiowave pulse that will deviate those aligned magnetic moments from the main field direction, and when they return to equilibrium you record the electromagnetic wave produced by this re-alignement under the main magnetic field plus a gradient, and according to the frequency and phase you can reconstruct the amount of signal coming from each location thus giving you one value per voxel (volumetric pixel), linked both to the amount of atoms in the region and to their interactions with other atoms influencing the time course of the return to equilibrium.

  Here, there is no resonance and no big magnetic field. it seems they can map the magnetic field of multiple types of atoms one by one by following the surface with the tiny probe. So why use MRI to describe it ?

  Starting Score:	1		point
  Moderation		+4
  Insightful=2, Informative=2, Total=4
  Extra 'Informative' Modifier		0
  Karma-Bonus Modifier		+1
  Total Score:		5

• Re:No resonance, no MRI (Score: 2) by Rupert Pupnick on Tuesday July 02 2019, @12:09PM

  by Rupert Pupnick (7277) on Tuesday July 02 2019, @12:09PM (#862346) Journal

  Some people in research feel that accuracy in terminology should take a back seat to considerations of publicity. Don’t fret, this may end up being the biggest thing since quantum teleportation.

  Thanks for the great summary on MRI.

  Parent

• Re:No resonance, no MRI (Score: 2) by EvilSS on Tuesday July 02 2019, @02:03PM

  by EvilSS (1456) on Tuesday July 02 2019, @02:03PM (#862382)

  Yea, without being able to read the actual paper for details that may be missing from the articles, I have to agree. It's neat but I also can't see how this is directly related to a MRI (or in this case it would really be more like a 2D NMR). Maybe using the term MRI is an analogy they think that make sense to laypeople? Or maybe they are ringing the atoms with a radio pulse but left that detail out of the articles? But that doesn't really jive with using a magnet probe to measure the effect either so....
  
  Still, really cool.

  Parent