The detection of spin ensembles has advanced various sciences through techniques like MRI and NMR, but detecting single spins, which could revolutionize single-molecule imaging, remained challenging due to their tiny magnetic fields. This 2013 work from Amir Yacoby’s Harvard group demonstrates the powerful capabilities of scanning nitrogen-vacancy magnetometry by detecting and imaging a single electron spin’s magnetic field under ambient conditions.
The work is published in: Nature Physics volume 9, pages215–219 (2013), Nanoscale magnetic imaging of a single electron spin under ambient conditions
