# Quantum sensing with NV centres: one defect in diamond, read by light

> A nitrogen–vacancy centre in diamond holds an electron spin that green light sets and red fluorescence reads. A magnetic field splits its 2.87 GHz microwave resonance and heat shifts it, so a single defect at the apex of a scanning diamond tip maps magnetic domains, 2D magnets and nuclear spins at the nanoscale.

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- Updated: 2026-10-14
- Category: Graphical abstracts
- Method: Graphical abstract
- Starting materials: Diamond containing nitrogen–vacancy (NV⁻) centres
- Product: A room-temperature quantum sensor of magnetic fields and temperature, scanned at the nanoscale
- Key result: D ≈ 2870 MHz (Sotoma et al. 2022); −74 kHz K⁻¹, ~1 ms coherence, 4–625 K (Aslam et al. 2023); 25 nm domains, 56 nT Hz⁻¹ᐟ², T₂ ≈ 75 µs in a nanopillar tip (Maletinsky et al. 2012); ≈16 µB nm⁻² in monolayer CrI₃ (Thiel et al. 2019); 1.8 mK (Kucsko et al. 2013)
- Figure: 1920 × 1080 px, 237 editable layers

## Steps

1. **A spin in the lattice**: A nitrogen atom beside a vacancy; NV⁻ has S = 1 and a spin-triplet ground state, mₛ = 0 and ±1 split by about 2870 MHz (Sotoma et al. 2022; Mahtab et al. 2023)
2. **Light sets and reads it**: Green light excites the centre; it fluoresces (zero-phonon line 637 nm), and microwaves that drive mₛ = 0 → ±1 dim the fluorescence through spin-dependent intersystem crossing (Sotoma et al. 2022); readout works down to a single NV (Aslam et al. 2023)
3. **Fields split it, heat shifts it**: A field lifts the ±1 degeneracy and splits the ODMR dip (Sotoma et al. 2022); the zero-field splitting moves by about −74 kHz per kelvin (Aslam et al. 2023); 1.8 mK resolved in bulk diamond (Kucsko et al. 2013)
4. **Scanned on a tip**: A single NV at the end of a diamond nanopillar AFM tip images 25 nm magnetic domains with 56 nT Hz⁻¹ᐟ² (Maletinsky et al. 2012), maps CrI₃ layer by layer (Thiel et al. 2019) and, with NMR schemes, detects down to a single proton (Aslam et al. 2023)

## Uses

- Graphical abstracts on NV magnetometry and quantum sensing
- Talks introducing ODMR and scanning NV microscopy
- Teaching spin defects in wide-gap solids

## References

1. Sotoma et al., “Quantum nanodiamonds for sensing of biological quantities: Angle, temperature, and thermal conductivity”, Biophys. Physicobiol. 2022. https://doi.org/10.2142/biophysico.bppb-v19.0034 (review)
2. Aslam et al., “Quantum sensors for biomedical applications”, Nat. Rev. Phys. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42254-023-00558-3 (review)
3. Maletinsky et al., “A robust scanning diamond sensor for nanoscale imaging with single nitrogen-vacancy centres”, Nat. Nanotechnol. 2012. https://doi.org/10.1038/nnano.2012.50 (primary)
4. Thiel et al., “Probing magnetism in 2D materials at the nanoscale with single-spin microscopy”, Science 2019. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aav6926 (primary)
5. Kucsko et al., “Nanometre-scale thermometry in a living cell”, Nature 2013. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12373 (primary)
6. Maze et al., “Nanoscale magnetic sensing with an individual electronic spin in diamond”, Nature 2008. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature07279 (primary)
7. Mahtab et al., “High efficiency radio frequency antennas for amplifier free quantum sensing applications”, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0136233 (further reading)

Credit: Drawn by LabCanvas after Sotoma et al., Biophys. Physicobiol. 2022 (doi:10.2142/biophysico.bppb-v19.0034); Aslam et al., Nat. Rev. Phys. 2023 (doi:10.1038/s42254-023-00558-3); Maletinsky et al., Nat. Nanotechnol. 2012 (doi:10.1038/nnano.2012.50); Thiel et al., Science 2019 (doi:10.1126/science.aav6926); Kucsko et al., Nature 2013 (doi:10.1038/nature12373).

## Questions

**What does the “Quantum sensing with NV centres: one defect in diamond, read by light” template show?** A nitrogen–vacancy centre in diamond holds an electron spin that green light sets and red fluorescence reads. A magnetic field splits its 2.87 GHz microwave resonance and heat shifts it, so a single defect at the apex of a scanning diamond tip maps magnetic domains, 2D magnets and nuclear spins at the nanoscale.

**What are the steps shown in “Quantum sensing with NV centres: one defect in diamond, read by light”?** 1. A spin in the lattice: A nitrogen atom beside a vacancy; NV⁻ has S = 1 and a spin-triplet ground state, mₛ = 0 and ±1 split by about 2870 MHz (Sotoma et al. 2022; Mahtab et al. 2023). 2. Light sets and reads it: Green light excites the centre; it fluoresces (zero-phonon line 637 nm), and microwaves that drive mₛ = 0 → ±1 dim the fluorescence through spin-dependent intersystem crossing (Sotoma et al. 2022); readout works down to a single NV (Aslam et al. 2023). 3. Fields split it, heat shifts it: A field lifts the ±1 degeneracy and splits the ODMR dip (Sotoma et al. 2022); the zero-field splitting moves by about −74 kHz per kelvin (Aslam et al. 2023); 1.8 mK resolved in bulk diamond (Kucsko et al. 2013). 4. Scanned on a tip: A single NV at the end of a diamond nanopillar AFM tip images 25 nm magnetic domains with 56 nT Hz⁻¹ᐟ² (Maletinsky et al. 2012), maps CrI₃ layer by layer (Thiel et al. 2019) and, with NMR schemes, detects down to a single proton (Aslam et al. 2023).

**What are the starting materials and the product?** Starting materials: Diamond containing nitrogen–vacancy (NV⁻) centres. Product: A room-temperature quantum sensor of magnetic fields and temperature, scanned at the nanoscale.

**Which papers is “Quantum sensing with NV centres: one defect in diamond, read by light” based on?** Sotoma et al., “Quantum nanodiamonds for sensing of biological quantities: Angle, temperature, and thermal conductivity”, Biophys. Physicobiol. 2022 (doi:10.2142/biophysico.bppb-v19.0034); Aslam et al., “Quantum sensors for biomedical applications”, Nat. Rev. Phys. 2023 (doi:10.1038/s42254-023-00558-3); Maletinsky et al., “A robust scanning diamond sensor for nanoscale imaging with single nitrogen-vacancy centres”, Nat. Nanotechnol. 2012 (doi:10.1038/nnano.2012.50); Thiel et al., “Probing magnetism in 2D materials at the nanoscale with single-spin microscopy”, Science 2019 (doi:10.1126/science.aav6926); Kucsko et al., “Nanometre-scale thermometry in a living cell”, Nature 2013 (doi:10.1038/nature12373); Maze et al., “Nanoscale magnetic sensing with an individual electronic spin in diamond”, Nature 2008 (doi:10.1038/nature07279); Mahtab et al., “High efficiency radio frequency antennas for amplifier free quantum sensing applications”, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 2023 (doi:10.1063/5.0136233).

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