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  • Featured in Physics
  • Open Access

Sunlight-Driven Quantum Magnetometry

Yunbin Zhu1,3, Yijin Xie1,3, Ke Jing1,3, Ziyun Yu1,3, Huiyao Yu1,3, Wenzhe Zhang1,3, Xi Qin1,2,3, Chang-Kui Duan1,3, Xing Rong1,2,3,* et al.

Jiangfeng Du1,2,3,†

  • 1CAS Key Laboratory of Microscale Magnetic Resonance and School of Physical Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
  • 2Hefei National Laboratory, Hefei 230088, China
  • 3CAS Center for Excellence in Quantum Information and Quantum Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China

  • *xrong@ustc.edu.cn
  • †djf@ustc.edu.cn
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PRX Energy 1, 033002 – Published 17 October, 2022

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PRXEnergy.1.033002

Abstract

Emerging quantum technologies, such as quantum computations and precise sensing, provide new opportunities in the fields of science and engineering. While energy consumption is a major concern for modern industry and society, it is rarely taken into consideration for quantum technologies. Especially, the potential of quantum technologies directly powered by renewable energy has long been neglected. The initialization, manipulation, and readout of quantum systems generally require high-power-consuming equipment, such as a dilution refrigerator, a microwave-power amplifier, and a high-power laser. Here, we discover a direct utilization path for solar energy to steer the quantum states of negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond, which is one of the most promising solid-state quantum systems in the past decades. Following this method, we demonstrate sunlight-driven quantum magnetometry. The initialization and readout of this quantum magnetometry are achieved directly by sunlight, and conventional microwave manipulation can be removed by using a microwave-free scheme. By utilizing ambient energy directly, our method brings potential solutions to the energy-consumption issue of quantum technologies. This technique can be further extended to multiple quantum systems, and thus opens the door to environmentally sustainable quantum technologies and self-powered quantum sensing in the future.

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A “Green” Quantum Sensor

Published 17 October, 2022

Researchers have demonstrated a quantum sensor that can power itself using sunlight and an ambient magnetic field, an achievement that could help reduce the energy costs of this energy-hungry technology.

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Popular Summary

Significant developments in quantum information and technology research have created paths towards a variety of practical implementations. While the unique performance of these quantum systems has been the focus of research efforts to this point, it is also important to consider the energy cost of such systems and how they could be made more efficient. Many quantum technologies require energy-intensive equipment for manipulation and readout, as well as cooling.

Here, the authors present a quantum sensor that directly utilizes ambient sunlight as its energy source. The authors demonstrate sunlight-driven quantum magnetometry based on negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond. The initialization and readout of this quantum magnetometer are achieved directly by filtered and focused sunlight, and conventional microwave manipulation can be circumvented by using a microwave-free scheme. Therefore, the magnetometer can work without conventional energy sources. This technique can be further extended to multiple quantum systems and suggests one of many potential solutions to the energy consumption issue of quantum technologies.

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PRX Energy 1, 033002– Published 17 October, 2022
  • Received 21 March 2022
  • Revised 24 July 2022
  • Accepted 11 August 2022
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