Argonne Gets $1M to Build Diamond Quantum Sensors

Argonne National Laboratory has launched a three-year, $1 million project to develop diamond-based quantum sensors. These sensors will be used to measure electromagnetic fields in particle physics experiments. Funding for the project comes from the U.S. Department of Energy‘s Office of High Energy Physics, under its Quantum Information Science program. This is a research endeavor that will begin with material customization and, if successful, conclude with field-ready prototypes.

Project details

According to the August 17 report, the project utilizes nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers, which are defects formed when a nitrogen atom is situated next to a missing carbon atom within a diamond crystal. Each of these defects functions as a trapped magnet whose energy states shift in response to magnetic and electric fields. Researchers can detect these shifts using light and microwaves, enabling the sensors to measure electromagnetic fields with high sensitivity. Argonne has been developing NV centers for several years, and this project will adapt that expertise for high-energy physics applications.

The project outlines several key objectives:

• Develop prototypes of ultra-high-precision NV sensors.
• Create large-area magnetic-field mapping systems.
• Design early versions of sensor arrays capable of handling rapidly changing electromagnetic conditions.

The initial phase will involve customizing diamond materials to meet the specific requirements of various experiments. Subsequently, the sensors will undergo testing in both laboratory and operational environments, including conditions with strong magnetic fields and high radiation levels. The final stage, contingent on the success of earlier phases, will focus on producing field-ready prototypes.

Do note that this technology hasn’t yet been demonstrated in an operational accelerator. The $1 million budget covers the research phase, not the deployment of an instrument. Argonne highlights that diamond sensors are resistant to radiation and are compact, which could reduce the need for extensive cabling in constrained experimental setups and allow for simultaneous measurement of multiple quantities. These are the potential advantages the project aims to prove through its research.

Relevance to particle physics

Experiments such as the muon g-2 measurement and detectors at the Large Hadron Collider require extremely precise knowledge of their magnetic fields. Even small uncertainties in these fields can limit the precision of physics results. Peter Winter, an Argonne physicist and project lead, stated that many of these experiments require detailed magnetic field mapping, which motivated the lab to seek a single sensor platform adaptable to multiple setups.

Nazar Delegan, project co-lead, described the effort as an early step towards practical application. Delegan commented:

“This is another front for the likely quantum revolution. These technologies are now advanced enough that we can think about the practical applications, maybe leading to some commercial development. Five or 10 years ago, this was kind of science fiction. But now we tend to think that these are practical paths to making the devices useful for other scientists and ourselves.”

Argonne operates with an annual budget of approximately $1 billion, with UChicago Argonne, LLC managing its work for the DOE’s Office of Science.