Special INTRIQ/CPM Seminar

Tracking protein conformation with a single NV center

Benjamin D'Anjou

Centre of Quantum Bioscience
Ulm University

I discuss a protocol for detecting conformal transitions in spin labelled proteins using a single nitrogen-vacancy-center spin in diamond under ambient conditions. I show how a combination of careful pulse design, system engineering, modelling, and Bayesian inference allows us to access ~MHz scale shifts in the dipole coupling between labels even in the presence of protein tumbling and decoherence at room temperature. Perhaps counter-intuitively, I argue that a small amount of residual tumbling is a resource that allows us to access protein geometry beyond merely the inter-label coupling. I also discuss current limitations and, time permitting, progress on dynamical tracking of protein motion.