diamond

We all know that diamonds can hold great sentimental (and monetary) value. As luck may have it, diamonds—particularly defective ones, with little errors in their crystal structure—also hold great scientific value. The defects have properties that can only be described by quantum mechanics, and researchers are working on harnessing these properties to pick up on tiny signals coming from individual biological cells.

JQI group uses diamond-based quantum sensors produce images of currents in graphene.

Measuring faint magnetic fields is a trillion-dollar business.  Gigabytes of data, stored and quickly retrieved from chips the size of a coin, are at the heart of consumer electronics.   Even higher data densities can be achieved by enhancing magnetic detection sensitivity---perhaps down to nano-tesla levels.
Greater magnetic sensitivity is also useful in many scientific areas, such as the identification of biomolecules such as DNA or viruses.  This research must often take place in a warm, wet environment, where clean conditions or low temperatures are not possible.  JQI scientists address this concern by developing a diamond sensor that operates in a fluid environment.