Optically pumped magnetometers (OPMs) are quantum sensors that use vaporized alkali-metal atoms and that can reach competitive sensitivities at low frequencies, all the while working at room temperature. We expand the use of OPMs to nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements under zero (or ultra-low) static magnetic fields. Standard NMR devices require cryogenic cooling to operate superconducting magnets that polarize the nuclear spins with large static magnetic fields; however, we eliminate the need for superconducting magnets by using OPMs. In this talk, I will explain how we use OPMs in zero-field NMR to probe J-couplings, how this zero-field spectroscopy can provide information on the molecular geometry, and how we can further use OPMs to sense neural ultra-low magnetic fields  (such as in magnetoencephalography), and the challenges that lie ahead.

Short Biography of the Speaker:

Deniz Aybaş is an Assistant Professor of Physics at Bilkent University. Prior to joining Bilkent, she was a Postdoctoral Scholar at UC Berkeley. She received her PhD from Boston University in 2021, and her BSc from METU in 2014. Deniz is currently the International Affairs Officer of American Physical Society’s FECS, and a co-leader in the EU COST Action “Cosmic WISPers”.