What if we could use a hydrogen molecule as a quantum sensor in a terahertz laser-equipped scanning tunneling microscope? This would allow us to measure the chemical properties of materials at unprecedented time and spatial resolutions.according to a statementIn the ultrahigh vacuum of a scanning tunneling microscope, a hydrogen molecule is held between the silver tip and sample. Femtosecond bursts of a terahertz laser excite the molecule, turning it into a quantum sensor.
“A quantum microscope that relies on probing the coherent superposition of states in a two-level system is much more sensitive than existing instruments that are not based on this quantum physics principle.” The scientists were able to achieve a superposition of two states through a laser pulse that coaxed the newly-engineered system to go from a ground state to an excited state in a cyclical fashion. Even though the duration of the cyclical oscillations lasted only mere tens of picoseconds, the scientists were still able to see how the hydrogen molecule was interacting with its environment.
Ho further added that this experiment represents the first demonstration of chemically sensitive spectroscopy based on terahertz-induced rectification current through a single molecule. The new technique can now be applied to the analysis of two-dimensional materials which could be used in