Quantum Sensing Enhancement through a Nuclear Spin Register in Nitrogen-Vacancy Centers in Diamond

TL;DR

This paper reviews how nuclear spins in NV centers in diamond can enhance quantum sensing by protecting coherence, enabling improved sensitivity in applications like magnetic sensing and atomic imaging.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of nuclear spin-assisted protocols in NV centers, highlighting their physics, variations, and potential for sensitivity enhancement.

Findings

Nuclear spins extend electron spin coherence times.

Nuclear spin protocols improve quantum sensing sensitivity.

Challenges include environmental noise and scalability.

Abstract

Quantum sensing has seen rapid progress from laboratory research to real-world applications. Solid-state spin systems, particularly nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond, are attractive for their ability to operate at room temperature with high sensitivity. However, electron spin coherence due to noise from the surrounding spin bath and this environment effect limits the sensitivity of NV centers. Thus, a critical task in NV center-based quantum sensing is sensitivity enhancement through coherence protection. Nuclear spin assisted protocols have demonstrated greater enhancement of electron spin coherence due to the naturally occurring electron and nuclear spin pair. The longer nuclear coherence times allow for long-lived memory bit for quantum information protocols. This review discusses the physics of NV centers, the mechanisms and variations of nuclear spin-assisted protocols, and their applications in nuclear spin spectroscopy, atomic imaging, and magnetic sensing. Challenges in sensitivity enhancement, commercialization prospects, and future research directions are also explored.