e-DIAMANT

The NV center in diamond consists of a substituted nitrogen atom associated with a vacancy. Among the several hundred or more existing defects in diamond, the NV center possesses unique properties. It offers the possibility of coherently manipulating electron spins in the solid state at room temperature, with direct optical readout. As the coupling of the spin to an external magnetic field modifies its state, the NV center behaves like an atom, with a magnetic field sensitivity of a few nT and spatial resolution on the nanometer scale.

The study of this system and the development of the first devices have already opened up new fields of investigation in a wide variety of fields. Since magnetic fields exist almost everywhere, the use of the NV center as a magnetic sensor can provide solutions to societal and economic needs for which no viable approach yet exists. Examples include:

• The ability to characterize new condensed matter structures such as those developed for spintronics.
• Elucidate chemical structures by extracting nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) from single molecular entities. This will open up new possibilities for drug development and disease diagnosis.
• Demonstrate superconductivity phenomena at room temperature, by monitoring the new states of matter created by applying pressures of up to 600 GPa.
• Carry out magnetic measurements to contribute to progress in Earth and planetary sciences.

Beyond these fields of investigation, there are probably many others yet to be discovered and invented. The e-DIAMANT project will use the complementary know-how and expertise of the partners to create a set of tools for obtaining a diamond material with a controlled level of defects, optimized design and dimensions.