Quantum sensor assisted nuclear "hyperpolarization": new avenues for ultrafast NMR/MRI

I will describe new quantum assisted modalities for enormous signal enhancements in conventional MRI and NMR mediated by quantum sensors. Indeed, quantum spins such as Nitrogen Vacancy (NV) center spins in diamond, are compelling platforms for the optical dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) of nuclear spins. NV electronic spins can be optically polarized at room temperature with modest laser powers, and this polarization potentially transferred to external nuclei to hyperpolarize them to levels far in excess of Boltzmann levels. I will describe deploying nanodiamond powder for this task, given its large surface areas (>7mm2/mg for 100nm particles), and the fact that one could arrange for a close physical contact between the polarized NVs and external nuclear spins. This work paves for quantum-assisted classical NMR and MRI, allowing for vastly accelerated spectroscopy and imaging with chemical specificity.