STAGE M2 Internship Proposal 2022-2023: Diamond Quantum Microscopy of Neuronal Electrical Activity

How electrical signals propagate in a neuron and across neuronal assemblies is still poorly understood. Theoretical modeling struggles to explain the subtle nature of neuron network connectivity and experimental measurements of individual neuron electrical signals across large networks remain elusive. Whilst many techniques exist to measure neuron activity, none of them can perform at high spatiotemporal resolution with wide-field imaging capacity and low invasiveness. To achieve this, we are developing a quantum sensor based on the optically detectable electron spin magnetic resonance (ODMR) of negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy (NV-) center in diamond nanostructures (Fig. 1). This three-year duration project (2022-2025) is supported by a Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) cross-disciplinary fellowship.
The first steps of this project consists in 1) fabricating the diamond nanopillar array with NV- centers at the pillar’s tips (collab. with J.-F. ROCH [LuMIn] and Xavier CHECOURY [C2N, Palaiseau]) on which neuron grow efficiently as already established (Fig. 1a); and 2) constructing a “quantum microscope combining wide-field electrometry (continuous wave or pulsed ODMR) and live primary neuron culture imaging at large magnification. This experimental effort will be matched with theoretical modeling of the neuron electrodynamics in the presence of a nanopillar.