Periodic Reporting for period 3 - Q-SORT (QUANTUM SORTER)
Reporting period: 2020-04-01 to 2021-09-30
The Q-SORT project has successfully created a new generation of electron microscopes - so-called ‘Quantum Sorters’ - that are able to extract previously unavailable information about samples by changing the very concept of measurement.
For decades, both scientists and the wider public have marveled at images produced by electron microscopes. Modern instruments can fire powerful electron beams to form images that have atomic spatial resolution. However, electron microscopes are much more than just imaging tools: they can also be used to study properties such as atomic composition, as well as magnetic, mechanical, structural, and electronic properties of materials.
According to quantum mechanics, the information that can be measured about a single electron is limited and depends on the measurement process. By developing and using a “Quantum Sorter”, we have shown that it is possible to retrieve crucial information that is usually hidden - for example about the symmetry of a scattering object, which is of interest in studies of atomic orbitals, where a specific rotational symmetry provides information about chemical bonds, magnetic states or electronic states.
An important issue in electron microscopy is damage to (or even destruction of) delicate samples, such as proteins, by an incident electron beam. This ‘dose problem’ results in the need to find a trade-off between spatial resolution and sample integrity. In this context, it is significant that a “Quantum Sorter” allows a specific quantity of interest about a sample to be measured optimally.
A “Quantum Sorter” transforms the quantum state of an electron that has probed a sample, thereby maximising the information that can be extracted per incident electron and allowing the measurement of properties of the sample that are not normally accessible. This is a game-changing development in electron microscopy. Q-SORT assessed the benefits of using a “Quantum Sorter” for probing delicate specimens with extremely low damage, for characterising quantum states of plasmonic excitations and for measuring selection rules in atomic transitions excited by beam-sample interactions.
Q-SORT resulted in the development of new devices, in which MEMS technology was used to control and shape the electron wavefunction, as well as to ‘sort’ its quantum states. It required the building of an orbital angular momentum Sorter and demonstrations of its use to provide unprecedented results on the characterisation of atomic transitions, plasmon excitations and protein symmetries.
Applications of the Quantum Sorter to cryo electron microscopy, which is generally used to study biological specimens in the form of a flash-frozen solution, include its use to recognise protein structures and their properties, thereby providing researchers with improved knowledge of how cells, tissues, and viruses function.
Theoretical assessments were performed of different dose-efficient methods. A new approach was demonstrated for the recovery of protein symmetry and orientation using a very limited dose. We also demonstrated experimentally a special Sorter-related method that is referred to as “computational ghost imaging”.
Q-SORT included a comprehensive outreach and dissemination strategy, based on both online and offline engagement. Its objectives were to communicate the Project to the broader public, to spread awareness about excellent EU-funded research, to prime public interest in the underlying physics of the Project, to foster interdisciplinary dialogue between physics and biochemistry, and to promote the project’s results and people in the electron microscopy and quantum science communities.
For decades, both scientists and the wider public have marveled at images produced by electron microscopes. Modern instruments can fire powerful electron beams to form images that have atomic spatial resolution. However, electron microscopes are much more than just imaging tools: they can also be used to study properties such as atomic composition, as well as magnetic, mechanical, structural, and electronic properties of materials.
According to quantum mechanics, the information that can be measured about a single electron is limited and depends on the measurement process. By developing and using a “Quantum Sorter”, we have shown that it is possible to retrieve crucial information that is usually hidden - for example about the symmetry of a scattering object, which is of interest in studies of atomic orbitals, where a specific rotational symmetry provides information about chemical bonds, magnetic states or electronic states.
An important issue in electron microscopy is damage to (or even destruction of) delicate samples, such as proteins, by an incident electron beam. This ‘dose problem’ results in the need to find a trade-off between spatial resolution and sample integrity. In this context, it is significant that a “Quantum Sorter” allows a specific quantity of interest about a sample to be measured optimally.
A “Quantum Sorter” transforms the quantum state of an electron that has probed a sample, thereby maximising the information that can be extracted per incident electron and allowing the measurement of properties of the sample that are not normally accessible. This is a game-changing development in electron microscopy. Q-SORT assessed the benefits of using a “Quantum Sorter” for probing delicate specimens with extremely low damage, for characterising quantum states of plasmonic excitations and for measuring selection rules in atomic transitions excited by beam-sample interactions.
Q-SORT resulted in the development of new devices, in which MEMS technology was used to control and shape the electron wavefunction, as well as to ‘sort’ its quantum states. It required the building of an orbital angular momentum Sorter and demonstrations of its use to provide unprecedented results on the characterisation of atomic transitions, plasmon excitations and protein symmetries.
Applications of the Quantum Sorter to cryo electron microscopy, which is generally used to study biological specimens in the form of a flash-frozen solution, include its use to recognise protein structures and their properties, thereby providing researchers with improved knowledge of how cells, tissues, and viruses function.
Theoretical assessments were performed of different dose-efficient methods. A new approach was demonstrated for the recovery of protein symmetry and orientation using a very limited dose. We also demonstrated experimentally a special Sorter-related method that is referred to as “computational ghost imaging”.
Q-SORT included a comprehensive outreach and dissemination strategy, based on both online and offline engagement. Its objectives were to communicate the Project to the broader public, to spread awareness about excellent EU-funded research, to prime public interest in the underlying physics of the Project, to foster interdisciplinary dialogue between physics and biochemistry, and to promote the project’s results and people in the electron microscopy and quantum science communities.
The work performed during the Q-SORT project involved the design and manufacture of some key components of an electron microscope, without having to completely redesign the instrument. Revolutionary miniaturised optics, comprising first electron holograms and then MEMS chips, were introduced to retrofit existing microscopes and to add new potentialities. In this way, a mature instrument (a transmission electron microscope) could be used to measure properties that were not accessible before.
We first concentrated on the sorting and measurement of orbital angular momentum, which is related to the symmetries of proteins, particles, and atomic orbitals. This capability was not previously available in an electron microscope. It soon became clear that a world of new quantities could be measured if the electron optics was designed and built appropriately.
Research into such uncharted territory required redefinition of the theoretical pillars of microscopy, of electron optics (including the introduction of artificial intelligence to control the optics) and of electron-matter interactions. This is the first project to fully exploit the deep links between electron microscopy and quantum optics.
Q-SORT has demonstrated the application of a new powerful toolbox to cryo electron microscopy (requiring a special modification to an electron microscope that was previously used in material science) and electron energy-loss spectroscopy to develop and apply new concepts in microscopy. Cross-disciplinary interest in the project has provided considerable added value. Suitable interdisciplinary training was provided via webinars and the organisation of advanced international conferences of the highest profile.
We first concentrated on the sorting and measurement of orbital angular momentum, which is related to the symmetries of proteins, particles, and atomic orbitals. This capability was not previously available in an electron microscope. It soon became clear that a world of new quantities could be measured if the electron optics was designed and built appropriately.
Research into such uncharted territory required redefinition of the theoretical pillars of microscopy, of electron optics (including the introduction of artificial intelligence to control the optics) and of electron-matter interactions. This is the first project to fully exploit the deep links between electron microscopy and quantum optics.
Q-SORT has demonstrated the application of a new powerful toolbox to cryo electron microscopy (requiring a special modification to an electron microscope that was previously used in material science) and electron energy-loss spectroscopy to develop and apply new concepts in microscopy. Cross-disciplinary interest in the project has provided considerable added value. Suitable interdisciplinary training was provided via webinars and the organisation of advanced international conferences of the highest profile.
The Quantum Sorter is a unique device, the first glint of a profound revolution in the electron microscopy landscape. Q-SORT has provided its first practical demonstration and applications.
In addition to the fact that the OAM Sorter is itself unique, the concept of controlling the electron beam in a versatile manner using MEMS technology in the electron microscope column is changing the face of advanced electron microscopy research. Q-SORT has also pioneered the use of artificial intelligence to solve the complex Q-SORT problem, as well as offering prospects for developing an electron microscope that allows the user to ‘navigate’ at the atomic scale while a computer takes care of technical complications.
The Q-SORT project has created a new OAM+EELS type of spectroscopy, which allows atomic orbital symmetries -and potentially orbital deformation due to chemical bonds and magnetic states- to be measured. This new ability to control degrees of freedom will be an important toolbox for studies of 2D materials in catalysis and energy storage, as well as for the atomic-scale control of magnetism for applications in quantum computing.
In cryo electron microscopy and studies of dose-sensitive materials, we pioneered computational ghost imaging, which promises to change the way in which objects are imaged by achieving a tradeoff between information and damage.
There is a clear pathway to the commercial development of these ideas. We started the MINEON Innovation Launchpad project and plan to develop further projects, which may involve the creation of a new company fostered by an ongoing collaboration with ThermoFisher Scientific.
The most important legacy of Q-SORT is the establishment of a new research community revolving around quantum electron microscopy and optics. Interactions between scientists in these fields have been fostered by Q-SORT International Conferences. The quantum approach to transmission electron microscopy that has been developed during this project is here to stay.
In addition to the fact that the OAM Sorter is itself unique, the concept of controlling the electron beam in a versatile manner using MEMS technology in the electron microscope column is changing the face of advanced electron microscopy research. Q-SORT has also pioneered the use of artificial intelligence to solve the complex Q-SORT problem, as well as offering prospects for developing an electron microscope that allows the user to ‘navigate’ at the atomic scale while a computer takes care of technical complications.
The Q-SORT project has created a new OAM+EELS type of spectroscopy, which allows atomic orbital symmetries -and potentially orbital deformation due to chemical bonds and magnetic states- to be measured. This new ability to control degrees of freedom will be an important toolbox for studies of 2D materials in catalysis and energy storage, as well as for the atomic-scale control of magnetism for applications in quantum computing.
In cryo electron microscopy and studies of dose-sensitive materials, we pioneered computational ghost imaging, which promises to change the way in which objects are imaged by achieving a tradeoff between information and damage.
There is a clear pathway to the commercial development of these ideas. We started the MINEON Innovation Launchpad project and plan to develop further projects, which may involve the creation of a new company fostered by an ongoing collaboration with ThermoFisher Scientific.
The most important legacy of Q-SORT is the establishment of a new research community revolving around quantum electron microscopy and optics. Interactions between scientists in these fields have been fostered by Q-SORT International Conferences. The quantum approach to transmission electron microscopy that has been developed during this project is here to stay.