In the microscopic world, the "spin" of electrons is one of their fundamental properties, akin to tiny magnetic needles. Many macroscopic characteristics of materials, such as the magnetism of magnets or the zero resistance of superconductors, originate from the alignment and interactions of these microscopic "magnetic needles.".
Researchers explain that detecting individual spins, the fundamental magnetic units of the material world, not only provides a novel perspective for understanding material properties but also lays a solid foundation for advancing single-molecule magnetic detection technology and promoting quantum science. However, since materials contain a vast number of spins, detecting a single spin is akin to clearly capturing someone's whispered conversation in a noisy stadium, posing significant challenges to related technologies.
The nitrogen-vacancy center quantum sensor in diamond, known for its nanoscale resolution and highly sensitive magnetic detection capabilities, has long been a crucial technical pathway for achieving single-spin detection. With a long-term focus on the scientific goal of single-spin detection, the research team has developed high-precision spin quantum control techniques and core diamond quantum sensing devices and equipment. In previous work, they have already achieved the identification of single spins with special "markers" through spectral differences.
Researchers introduced that over the past decade, the research team has focused on the independent fabrication of high-quality diamond quantum sensors, establishing a complete process covering over twenty steps and mastering key techniques within it. Through collaborative innovation along two pathways—material preparation and quantum control—they successfully developed entanglement-enhanced nanoscale single-spin detection technology for the first time. This achievement enables simultaneous improvement in sensitivity to microscopic magnetic signals and spatial resolution within solid-state systems, paving the way for the continued advancement of nanoscale quantum precision measurement technology.
It is understood that this groundbreaking technology has achieved three major advancements: successfully distinguishing and detecting two adjacent "dark" electron spins; enhancing detection sensitivity to 3.4 times the level of a single sensor in noisy environments; and enabling real-time monitoring and active regulation of unstable spin signals.
The researchers stated that this achievement not only experimentally validates the advantages and immense potential of quantum entanglement in nanoscale sensing but also demonstrates that diamond quantum sensors can serve as powerful nanomagnetometers. This opens a new window for studying quantum materials at the atomic level and provides revolutionary research tools for fields such as condensed matter physics, quantum biology, and chemistry. The controlled preparation of nitrogen-vacancy color centers in diamond and quantum entanglement manipulation techniques are also key foundations for achieving room-temperature diamond-based quantum computing.
Source: Sensor Expert Network