Nanoscale precision measurements of magnetic and electric fields by a magneto-optical sensor

Abstract

As we enter the age of quantum technology, solid-state defects become a leading contender for storage of quantum information, quantum information processing and quantum communication. Two of the most exciting prospects of quantum technology are the creation of computers that take advantage of quantum rather than classical laws to outperform current devices, and the realization of highly sensitive magnetometers limited only by quantum uncertainty. In pursuit of these two goals, many proposals and proof-of-principal experiments have been performed in the solid-state, which required location of defects very close to the host crystal's surface. The contribution reviews some of the recent progress in the field. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2014.