Abstract
Quantum interference is used to measure the spin interactions between an InAs surface electron system and the iron center in the biomolecule hemin in nanometer proximity in a bio-organic/semiconductor device structure. The interference quantifies the influence of hemin on the spin decoherence properties of the surface electrons. The decoherence times of the electrons serve to characterize the biomolecule, in an electronic complement to the use of spin decoherence times in magnetic resonance. Hemin, prototypical for the heme group in hemoglobin, is used to demonstrate the method, as a representative biomolecule where the spin state of a metal ion affects biological functions. The electronic determination of spin decoherence properties relies on the quantum correction of antilocalization, a result of quantum interference in the electron system. Spin-flip scattering is found to increase with temperature due to hemin, signifying a spin exchange between the iron center and the electrons, thus implying interactions between a biomolecule and a solid-state system in the hemin/InAs hybrid structure. The results also indicate the feasibility of artificial bioinspired materials using tunable carrier systems to mediate interactions between biological entities.
Highlights
Quantum interference is used to measure the spin interactions between an InAs surface electron system and the iron center in the biomolecule hemin in nanometer proximity in a bio-organic/semiconductor device structure
The electronic determination of spin decoherence properties relies on the quantum correction of antilocalization, a result of quantum interference in the electron system
The results indicate the feasibility of artificial bioinspired materials using tunable carrier systems to mediate interactions between biological entities
Summary
Quantum interference is used to measure the spin interactions between an InAs surface electron system and the iron center in the biomolecule hemin in nanometer proximity in a bio-organic/semiconductor device structure. I n a hybrid bio-organic/semiconductor lithographic structure, quantum interference experiments are used to study spin interactions between the iron center in hemin and a proximate two-dimensional electron system (2DES) at the surface of InAs. Hemin (Fig. 1a) is an iron porphyrin similar to the prosthetic heme group in hemoglobin, where the iron center impacts biological functions. In the hemin/semiconductor structure a magnetic characterization method is employed deriving its sensitivity from electrically-measured quantum interference, evidenced as electron antilocalization[1], and from the engineered nanoscale proximity between the 2DES to the local spin moments in hemin.
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