Single spin magnetic resonance

An illustration of a nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of a single molecule (in this case perfluoropolyether, or PFPE) using a defect in diamond, the nitrogen-vacancy center. Initialization and read-out of the spin-state are performed optically, using a green (532 nm) laser. Spin-state manipulation is implemented by a microwave coplanar waveguide. By using a strong magnetic field gradient, only a part (slice) of the molecule's nuclei are on resonance with the radio-frequency excitation. The spectrum shown is from 19F nuclei in PFPE (M. Pfender et al., manuscript inpreparation).165