Dresden 2026 – scientific programme

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 33: Bioimaging

BP 33.11: Talk

Thursday, March 12, 2026, 18:00–18:15, BAR/0205

Optically addressable spins in proteins — •Dominik Bucher — Technical University of Munich, TUM School of Natural Sciences, Chemistry Department

Optically addressable spins have attracted significant interest for their potential in quantum sensing technologies. The current workhorses rely on spin defects in solids (such as the nitrogen-vacancy center in diamond), which lack the possibility for precise synthetic control over their properties. In my talk I will highlight our latest research on optically addressable spins in proteins, specifically flavin-based proteins. Upon excitation, these proteins generate radical pairs that can be detected optically via their flourescence and manipulated through radio wave-controlled spin chemistry. We further show that this optical spin interface is tunable by the protein structure. I will explain how these systems differ from the well-established NV center and discuss their potential as genetically encoded quantum sensors for future applications.

K. Meng et al. Optically detected and radio wave-controlled spin chemistry in cryptochrome, BioRxiv https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.04.16.649006 (2025)

Keywords: Optically detected magnetic resonance; Radical pair mechanism; Spin chemistry