We propose a strategy to generate a many-body entangled state in a collection of randomly placed, dipolarly coupled electronic spins in the solid state. By using coherent control to restrict the evolution into a suitable collective subspace, this method enables the preparation of GHZ-like and spin-squeezed states even for randomly positioned spins, while in addition protecting the entangled states against decoherence. We consider the application of this squeezing method to improve the sensitivity of nanoscale magnetometer based on nitrogen-vacancy spin qubits in diamond.
We propose a strategy to generate a many-body entangled state in a collection of randomly placed, dipolarly coupled electronic spins in the solid state. By using coherent control to restrict the evolution into a suitable collective subspace, this method enables the preparation of GHZ-like and spin-squeezed states even for randomly positioned spins, while in addition protecting the entangled states against decoherence. We consider the application of this squeezing method to improve the sensitivity of nanoscale magnetometer based on nitrogen-vacancy spin qubits in diamond.
Collective spin systems in solid-state materials are promising platforms for quantum-enhanced sensing. In systems such as nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond, donor spins in silicon, and magnetic materials, interactions among many spins can generate collective quantum correlations that improve measurement precision beyond the standard quantum limit. This tutorial develops an intuitive, materials-oriented framework for understanding these effects through nonlinear collective-spin dynamics. We show how nonlinear interactions reshape collective spin states in phase space, redistribute quantum fluctuations, and generate metrologically useful states such as spin-squeezed and entangled states. We then connect these ideal collective dynamics to microscopic interactions and realistic solid-state systems, discussing how interaction strength, disorder, decoherence, and experimental control affect sensing performance. Different platforms and experiments are compared to highlight key material properties, advantages, and limitations. The tutorial focuses on a materials-oriented understanding of nonlinear collective-spin sensing, rather than a comprehensive comparison of experimental platforms or a practical guide to sensing experiments.
Abstract Collective spin systems in solid-state materials are promising platforms for quantum-enhanced sensing. In systems such as nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond, donor spins in silicon, and magnetic materials, interactions among many spins can generate collective quantum correlations that improve measurement precision beyond the standard quantum limit. This tutorial develops an intuitive, materials-oriented framework for understanding these effects through nonlinear collective-spin dynamics. We show how nonlinear interactions reshape collective spin states in phase space, redistribute quantum fluctuations, and generate metrologically useful states such as spin-squeezed and entangled states. We then connect these ideal collective dynamics to microscopic interactions and realistic solid-state systems, discussing how interaction strength, disorder, decoherence, and experimental control affect sensing performance. Different platforms and experiments are compared to highlight key material properties, advantages, and limitations. The tutorial focuses on a materials-oriented understanding of nonlinear collective-spin sensing, rather than a comprehensive comparison of experimental platforms or a practical guide to sensing experiments.
Spin squeezed entanglement enables metrological precision beyond the classical limit. Understood through the lens of continuous symmetry breaking, dipolar spin systems exhibit the remarkable ability to generate spin squeezing via their intrinsic quench dynamics. To date, this understanding has primarily focused on lattice spin systems; in practice however, dipolar spin systems$\unicode{x2014}$ranging from ultracold molecules to nuclear spin ensembles and solid-state color centers$\unicode{x2014}$often exhibit significant amounts of positional disorder. Here, we develop a theory for scalable spin squeezing in a two-dimensional randomly diluted lattice of quantum dipoles, which naturally realize a dipolar XXZ model. Via extensive quantum Monte Carlo simulations, we map out the phase diagram for finite-temperature XY order, and by extension scalable spin squeezing, as a function of both disorder and Ising anisotropy. As the disorder increases, we find that scalable spin squeezing survives only near the Heisenberg point. We show that this behavior is due to the presence of rare tightly-coupled dimers, which effectively heat the system post-quench. In the case of strongly-interacting nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond, we demonstrate that an experimentally feasible strategy to decouple the problematic dimers from the dynamics is sufficient to enable scalable spin squeezing.
Many-body dynamics constitutes a promising approach for creating correlations between quantum particles which can be used for applications in sensing and metrology. However, utilizing this potential for substantial gains in practical settings is a challenging task with only a very few applications realized to date. Here, we demonstrate an approach to nanoscale magnetic sensing enabled by strongly interacting electronic spins in a room temperature solid. By coherently controlling collective many-body dynamics of a dipolar ensemble of ∼104 nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centres in diamond with pulsed magnetic field gradients, we demonstrate practical metrological gain up to 7.9(2)dB for magnetic signal detection and 8.8(3)dB for magnetic noise sensing, fully accounting for experimental overheads. Finally, we combine these methods to demonstrate a momentum-space-resolved sensing modality that enables detection of spatially correlated magnetic noise at continuously tunable length scales down to 50 nanometers. These observations open the door toward practical applications of interaction-enhanced quantum sensors for nanoscale biological imaging and material characterization.
Solid-state spin ensembles have emerged as a leading platform for micro- and nanoscale sensing, combining high sensitivity, nanoscale spatial resolution, and operation under ambient conditions. At high spin densities, magnetic dipole–dipole interactions typically limit sensing performance by reducing coherence, but can in principle be harnessed to enhance sensitivity. Realizing such interaction-enhanced sensing in practice, however, remains challenging due to the intrinsic anisotropy of dipolar interactions and the random spatial distribution of spins. This thesis presents a series of experimental works that culminate in a practical interaction-enhanced magnetometer based on ensembles of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond. Our approach is based on collective, one-axis-twisting-like (OAT-like) dynamics engineered from native dipolar interactions using controlled nanoscale spin textures, in combination with a dressed-state qubit encoding that significantly extends the sensor coherence time. These results open the door to practical deployment of interaction-enhanced quantum sensors for nanoscale biological imaging and material characterization.
Spins in solids and molecules are promising for applications of quantum sensing technology. The sensitivity of the quantum sensing depends on how precisely spin observables can be determined in the measurement, and is intrinsically limited by the uncertainties of the observables. The use of a spin-squeezed state in a quantum sensor can reduce the uncertainty below the standard quantum limit when combined with an appropriate measurement procedure. Here, we discuss the simulation study of the generation of a squeezed state in an interacting spin system. We show that a spin system coupled by the magnetic dipole interaction can create a squeezed state. Model systems to realize the spin squeezing experimentally are also discussed. In addition, we find that a squeezed state is a type of entangled state. The present work paves the way to realize a squeezed state using a spin system to build a quantum sensor network with improved sensitivity, and to use it for the detection of quantum entanglement.