title: Nanometre-scale thermometry in a living cell.
abstract: Sensitive probing of temperature variations on nanometre scales is an outstanding challenge in many areas of modern science and technology. In particular, a thermometer capable of subdegree temperature resolution over a large range of temperatures as well as integration within a living system could provide a powerful new tool in many areas of biological, physical and chemical research. Possibilities range from the temperature-induced control of gene expression and tumour metabolism to the cell-selective treatment of disease and the study of heat dissipation in integrated circuits. By combining local light-induced heat sources with sensitive nanoscale thermometry, it may also be possible to engineer biological processes at the subcellular level. Here we demonstrate a new approach to nanoscale thermometry that uses coherent manipulation of the electronic spin associated with nitrogen-vacancy colour centres in diamond. Our technique makes it possible to detect temperature variations as small as 1.8 mK (a sensitivity of 9 mK Hz(-1/2)) in an ultrapure bulk diamond sample. Using nitrogen-vacancy centres in diamond nanocrystals (nanodiamonds), we directly measure the local thermal environment on length scales as short as 200 nanometres. Finally, by introducing both nanodiamonds and gold nanoparticles into a single human embryonic fibroblast, we demonstrate temperature-gradient control and mapping at the subcellular level, enabling unique potential applications in life sciences.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kucsko
authors.forename: P C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Maurer
authors.forename: N Y
authors.initials: NY
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kubo
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Noh
authors.forename: P K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Lo
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Lukin
mesh_terms: D002470:Cell Survival; D003116:Color; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology*; D006046:Gold; D006801:Humans; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D058612:Nanodiamonds / Q000737:chemistry*; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000295:instrumentation; D009584:Nitrogen; D059010:Single-Cell Analysis; D013696:Temperature; D013821:Thermometers; D062125:Thermometry / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D058612:Nanodiamonds; D006046:Gold; D009584:Nitrogen
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