Project Description

While conventional fluorescence optical microscopy provides spatiotemporal information about cell structures and function, nanodiamond quantum sensors with ultra-high sensitivity to local electromagnetic fields offer a new dimension to see through live cells and reveal the underlying physical mechanisms of life processes. In this project, we will apply nanodiamond quantum sensing for four-dimensional (4D) (3D in space + 1D in time) live-cell bioimaging. We will fabricate scalable nanodiamond quantum sensors with biocompatible interfaces, uniform sizes and shapes, controllable color center densities, and minimal impurities. We will design and implement an integration of optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) spectroscopy with light-sheet microscopy (LSM) for realizing live-cell imaging using nanodiamonds with high spatiotemporal resolution and low phototoxicity. We will demonstrate the power of the designed nanodiamond quantum sensing instrument by investigating biological applications. 

Start Date

03/01/2025

Post Doc Qualifications

We are looking for highly motivated, self-driven and diligent postdoctoral researchers, with experimental research experience in optics and/or bioimaging.

Co-Advisors

Shengwang Du, dusw@purdue.edu, Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Jing Liu, liu456@purdue.edu, Department of Physics and Astronomy 

Bibliography

[1] Rong Chen, Xiao Tang, Yuxuan Zhao, Zeyu Shen, Meng Zhang, Yusheng Shen, Tiantian Li, Casper Ho Yin Chung, Lijuan Zhang, Ji Wang, Binbin Cui, Peng Fei, Yusong Guo, Shengwang Du, and Shuhuai Yao, “Single-frame deep-learning super-resolution microscopy for intracellular dynamics imaging,” Nature Communications 14, 2854 (2023).
[2] Xi-Wang Luo, Chuanwei Zhang, and Shengwang Du, “Quantum squeezing and sensing with pseudo-anti-parity-time symmetry,” Phys. Rev. Lett. 128, 173602 (2022).
[3] Aifang Cheng, Teng Zhao, Kai-Hei Tse, Hei-Man Chow, Yong Cui, Liwen Jiang, Shengwang Du, Michael M. T. Loy, and Karl Herrup, “ATM and ATR play complementary roles in the behavior of excitatory and inhibitory vesicle populations,” Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA (PNAS) 115, E292 (2018).
[4] Teng Zhao, Sze Cheung Lau, Ying Wang, Yumian Su, Hao Wang, Aifang Cheng, Karl Herrup, Nancy Y. Ip, Shengwang Du, and M. M. T. Loy, “Multicolor 4D fluorescence microscopy using ultrathin Bessel light sheets,” Sci. Rep. 6, 26159 (2016).
[5] Teng Zhao, Ying Wang, Yuanliang Zhai, Xiaoxuan Qu, Aifang Cheng, Shengwang Du, and M. M. T. Loy, “A user-friendly two-color super-resolution localization microscope,” Opt. Express 23, 1879 (2015).