Fluorescent-proteins: New generation of sensing qubits?

Optica Distinguished Lecture Series on Quantum Science and Technology

We demonstrate an optically addressable protein-based spin qubit encoded in the metastable triplet state of fluorescent protein. Our protein-qubit has coherence times rivaling NV centers in nanodiamonds but are roughly 10-times smaller and genetically encodable.

About the Speaker

Peter Maurer is an assistant professor at the University of Chicago. His research focuses on advancing quantum sensing techniques to probe the physical properties of biological processes with nanoscale resolution. Prior to joining the University of Chicago Peter completed his PhD training with Mikhail Lukin at Harvard and Steven Chu at Stanford.

Intraoperative Spectroscopic Imaging

Optical imaging and spectroscopy can provide high diagnostic accuracy, including in vivo, but can present challenges for surgery. The use of computer vision and robotics techniques will be presented to improve surgical ergonomics and visualization.

About the Speaker

Daniel Elson is a Professor of Surgical Imaging and Biophotonics in the Hamlyn Centre for Robotic Surgery, Institute of Global Health Innovation and Department of Surgery and Cancer at St. Mary's Hospital. Research interests are based around the development and application of photonics technology to medical imaging, including multispectral imaging, near infrared fluorescence, structured lighting, light sources in endoscopy and diffuse and fluorescence spectroscopy.

Pushing the Limits of Microscopy

No matter how good microscopes have become, there will always be a need for them to be better. I will describe various strategies to push the limits of microscopes for life science applications.

About the Speaker

Jerome Mertz received an AB in physics from Princeton University and a PhD in quantum optics from UC Santa Barbara and the University of Paris VI. Following postdoctoral studies at the University of Konstanz and at Cornell University, he became a CNRS research director at the Ecole Supérieure de Physique et de Chimie Industrielle in Paris. He is currently a professor of Biomedical Engineering at Boston University. His interests are in the development and applications of novel optical microscopy techniques for biological imaging. He is also author of a textbook titled Introduction to Optical Microscopy, 2nd Ed.

Maximizing the Impact of Biomedical Imaging and Microscopy

Optical methods are uniquely suited to mapping molecular and functional information across scales. From diffuse-imaging to super-resolution microscopy, how can we ensure that our work will lead to scientific breakthroughs and improvements in patient care?

About the Speaker

Dr. Elizabeth M.C. Hillman’s laboratory develops diverse optical imaging and microscopy techniques and applies them to studying the structure and function of the brain and other living tissues. She completed undergraduate and PhD training in Physics and Medical Physics at University College London. After post-doctoral work at Massachusetts General Hospital, she joined the faculty at Columbia University in 2006, where she is the Herbert and Florence Irving Professor in the Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, and the Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Radiology.