Nuclear magnetic resonance on a single atom with a local probe

The nuclear spin is a prime candidate for quantum information applications due to its weak coupling to the environment and inherently long coherence times. However, this weak coupling also challenges the addressability of the nuclear spin. Here we demonstrate nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) on a single on-surface atom using a local scanning probe. We employ an electron-nuclear double resonance measurement scheme and resolve nuclear spin transitions of a single ⁴⁷Ti isotope with a nuclear spin of I = 5/2. The quadrupole interaction enables to resolve multiple NMR transitions, which are consistent with our calculations. Our experimental results indicate that the nuclear spin can be driven efficiently irrespective of its coupling to the electron spin, which is required for direct control of the nuclear spin in the long-lifetime regime. Moreover, investigation of fundamental interactions of a nuclear spin with its environment studied in a platform with atomic-scale control provides valuable knowledge for other platforms deploying nuclear spins for characterization techniques or quantum information technology.