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  • Featured in Physics
  • Open Access

Massively Multiplexed Nanoscale Magnetometry with Diamond Quantum Sensors

Kai-Hung Cheng1, Zeeshawn Kazi1, Jared Rovny1, Bichen Zhang1, Lila S. Nassar2, Jeff D. Thompson1, and Nathalie P. de Leon1,*

  • *Contact author: npdeleon@princeton.edu
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Phys. Rev. X 15, 031014 – Published 14 July, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/t8fz-3tzs

Abstract

Single nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers in diamond have been used extensively for high-sensitivity nanoscale sensing, but conventional approaches use confocal microscopy to measure individual centers sequentially, limiting throughput and access to nonlocal physical properties, where simultaneous, high-fidelity measurement of multiple centers is required. Here, we design and implement a multiplexed NV sensing platform that allows us to read out many single NV centers simultaneously using a low-noise camera. Using this platform, we coherently manipulate and read out the spin states of hundreds of individual NV centers in parallel, achieving comparable magnetic field sensitivity to confocal measurements. We also implement a parallelized version of spin-to-charge-conversion readout for low NV center spin state readout noise and use it to demonstrate multiplexed covariance magnetometry, in which we measure ten two-point magnetic field correlators from five NV centers simultaneously. From these measurements, we demonstrate the quantitative reconstruction of spatially varying magnetic correlations arising from a current-carrying wire. The number of correlators we can measure is limited only by the available laser power, opening the door to massively multiplexed covariance magnetometry. In contrast to scanning probes for imaging spatially varying magnetic fields, our approach measures the temporal dynamics of the magnetic field at many precisely defined positions simultaneously, from which the local noise spectrum and nonlocal properties such as correlation functions can be computed. This high-fidelity readout platform will find immediate applications in studying condensed matter phenomena that are characterized by the noise spectrum or correlation functions, including quantum phase transitions, dynamics far from equilibrium, magnetic order, and correlated electron phenomena.

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Optimizing Diamond as a Quantum Sensor

Published 14 July, 2025

Two independent groups optimize diamond-based quantum sensing by using more than 100 such sensors in parallel.

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Popular Summary

Conventional sensing with single nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers in diamond—atomic-scale defects in the crystal’s lattice—involves measuring each center one at a time using confocal microscopy. While this method provides high spatial precision, it limits the speed of data collection and prevents researchers from exploring correlated physical properties that arise across multiple locations. In this work, we introduce a new platform that enables the simultaneous measurement of many single NV centers.

Our approach adapts neutral atom quantum computing tools, such as a low-noise camera and holographic structured illumination, to NV-based sensing. The central innovation is a multiplexed readout technique that can scale to measuring hundreds of NV centers at once, each with high fidelity. This allows us to detect spatiotemporal magnetic noise correlations across the entire field of view.

This new platform has the potential to transform nanoscale magnetometry. While scanning NV techniques have already provided detailed insights into magnetic phenomena, our multiplexed system opens the door to studying noise and correlations across multiple sites in parallel. This could lead to a better understanding of materials with complex magnetic behavior, strongly correlated transport, and competing phases.

See Also

Scalable Parallel Measurement of Individual Nitrogen-Vacancy Centers

Matthew Cambria, Saroj Chand, Caitlin Mary Reiter, and Shimon Kolkowitz
Phys. Rev. X 15, 031015 (2025)

Article Text

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Phys. Rev. X 15, 031014– Published 14 July, 2025
  • Received 10 September 2024
  • Accepted 22 May 2025
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