Research Interests

The Maurer lab focuses on the development and application of novel sensing and imaging modalities, which enable the investigation of biological systems that are not accessible by conventional tools. Our highly interdisciplinary approach combines techniques from quantum optics, quantum engineering and single-molecule biophysics. The scope of our work requires us to actively push the current boundaries of these respective fields. The technologies that we are devising include a nanoscale quantum sensor for nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy of individual biomolecules, a single-molecule platform for quantum sensing, and new nanophotonics techniques for bio-imaging.

The successful development and implementation of such novel single-molecule modalities will provide powerful tools to investigate fundamental biological questions and form the basis for a new generation of diagnostic devices. Likewise, the development of novel quantum sensing protocols will extend our understanding of quantum systems at ambient conditions, and establish quantum information technology as a potent resource in biomedical research.

Selected Publications

J. Choi*, H. Zhou*, R. Landig, H. Wu, X. Yu, S. Von Stetina, G. Kucsko, S. Mango, D. Needleman, A. D. T. Samuel, P. Maurer, H. Park, M. D. Lukin, Probing and manipulating embryogenesis via nanoscale thermometry and temperature control, PNAS 117 (26), 14636-14641, (2020) 

M. Prigozhin*, P. Maurer*, A. Courtis, N. Liu, M. Wisser, C. Siefe, B. Tian, E. Chan, G. Song, S. Fischer, S. Aloni, F. Ogletree, E. Barnard, L. Joubert, J. Rao, P. Alivisatos, R. Macfarlane, B. Cohen, Y. Cui, J. Dionne, S. Chu, Bright sub-20 nm cathodoluminescence nanoprobes for multicolor electron microscopy,  Nature Nanotechnology  14, 420-425 (2019)

                - Featured in physicsworld (H. Behrens) 

M. Radulaski, Y. Tzeng, J. Zhang, H. Ishiwata, K. Lagoudakis, C. Dory, K. Fischer, Y. Kelaita, S. Sun, P. Maurer, K. Alassaad, G. Ferro, Z. Shen, N. Melosh, S. Chu, J. Vuckovic, Diamond color center integration with a silicon carbide photonics platform,  In CLEO: Science and Innovations, JTh3C-5. Optical Society of America, (2018) 

G. Kucsko*, S. Choi*, J. Choi*, P. Maurer, H. Zhou, R. Landig, H. Sumiya, S. Onoda, J. Isoya, F. Jelezko, E. Demler, N. Y. Yao, and M. D. Lukin, Critical thermalization of a disordered dipolar spin system in diamond,  Physics Review Letter 121(2), 023601 (2018)

S. Choi*, J. Choi*, G. Kucsko*, P. Maurer, B. Shields, H. Sumiya, S. Onoda, J. Isoya, E. Demler, F. Jelezko, N. Yao, M. Lukin,  Depolarization Dynamics in a strongly Interacting Solid State Spin Ensemble,  Physics Review Letter 118, 093601 (2017)

M. Wisser, S. Fisher, P. Maurer, N. Bronstein, S. Chu, P. Alivisatos, A. Salleo, J. Dionne  Enhancing Quantum Yield via Local Symmetry Distortion in Lanthanide-Based Upconverting Nanoparticles ACS Photonics 3(8), 1523-1530 (2016)

G. Kucsko*, P. Maurer*, N. Yao, M. Kubo, H. Noh, P. Lo, H. Park, M. Lukin  Nanometer Scale Thermometry in a Living Cell  Nature 500, 54-58 (2013)

                - Featured in Nature News And Views (K. Sokolov)

P. Maurer*, G. Kucsko*, C. Latta, L. Jiang, N. Yao, S. Bennett, F. Pastawski, D. Hunger, N. Chisholm, M. Markham, D. Twitchen, I. Cirac, M. Lukin Room-Temperature Quantum Bit Memory Exceeding One Second Science 336, 1283-1286 (2012) 

                - Featured in Science: Perspectives (C. Boehm, D. R. McCamey)

N. Yao*, L. Jiang*, A. Gorshkov*, P. Maurer, G. Giedke, I. Cirac, M. Lukin  Scalable Architecture for a Room Temperature Solid-State Quantum Information Processor  Nature Communication 3,  800 (2012)

P. Maurer*, J. Maze*, P. Stanwix*, L. Jiang, A. Gorshkov, A. Zibrov, B. Harke, J. Hodges, A. Yacoby, D. Twitchen, S. Hell, R. Walsworth, M. Lukin  Far-Field Optical Imaging and Manipulation of Individual Spins with Nanoscale Resolution  Nature Physics 6, 912-918 (2010)

L. Jiang*, J. Hodges*, J. Maze*, P. Maurer, J. Taylor, D. Cory, P. Hemmer, R. Walsworth, A. Yacoby, A. Zibrov, M. Lukin  Repetitive Readout of a Single Electronic Spin via Quantum Logic with Nuclear Spin Ancillae  Science 9, 267-272 (2009)

S. Filipp, P. Maurer, P. Leek, M. Baur, R. Bianchetti, J. Fink, M. Goppl, L. Steffen, J. Gambetta, A. Blais, A. Wallraff  Two-Qubit State Tomography Using a Joint Dispersive Readout  Physics Review Letter 102, 200402 (2009)

P. Leek, S. Filipp, P. Maurer, M. Baur, R. Bianchetti, J. Fink, M. Goppl, L. Steffen, A. Wallraff  Using Sideband Transitions for Two-Qubit Operations in Superconducting Circuits  Physics Review B 79, 2180511 (2009)