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Sub-nanometer resolution in three-dimensional magnetic-resonance imaging of individual dark spins

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has revolutionized biomedical science by providing non-invasive, three-dimensional biological imaging. However, spatial resolution in conventional MRI systems is limited to tens of microns, which is insufficient for imaging on molecular and atomic scales. Here we demonstrate an MRI technique that provides sub-nanometer spatial resolution in three dimensions, with single electron-spin sensitivity. Our imaging method works under ambient conditions and can measure ubiquitous 'dark' spins, which constitute nearly all spin targets of interest and cannot otherwise be individually detected. In this technique, the magnetic quantum-projection noise of dark spins is measured using a single nitrogen-vacancy (NV) magnetometer located near the surface of a diamond chip. The spatial distribution of spins surrounding the NV magnetometer is imaged with a scanning magnetic-field gradient. To evaluate the performance of the NV-MRI technique, we image the three-dimensional landscape of dark electronic spins at and just below the diamond surface and achieve an unprecedented combination of resolution (0.8 nm laterally and 1.5 nm vertically) and single-spin sensitivity. Our measurements uncover previously unidentified electronic spins on the diamond surface, which can potentially be used as resources for improved magnetic imaging of samples proximal to the NV-diamond sensor. This three-dimensional NV-MRI technique is immediately applicable to diverse systems including imaging spin chains, readout of individual spin-based quantum bits, and determining the precise location of spin labels in biological systems.