Scientists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Humboldt University in Berlin have discovered a method to capture nearly all the light emitted by microscopic flaws in diamonds, known as color centers. Their approach involves placing nanodiamonds into specially designed hybrid nanoantennas with extraordinary precision.
This technique allowed the team to achieve record-breaking photon collection at room temperature, a crucial milestone for advancing quantum technologies such as quantum sensors and secure quantum communications. The research was recognized as a Featured Article in APL Quantum.
Diamonds have always been admired for their brilliance, but this study shows how their sparkle can serve a far more advanced purpose. Working together, the teams from Jerusalem and Berlin managed to achieve an almost perfect collection of the faintest signals of light—individual photons—emitted from nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers. These defects in diamond crystals play a vital role in developing next-generation quantum computers, ultra-sensitive sensors, and communication systems designed for the quantum era.
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