Quantum sensing is the most exciting quantum technology and it has the most potential to change our lives in the next decade and beyond. Quantum sensors will offer new capabilities with benefits for medicine, defense, intelligence, extractive industries and many others. Quantum sensing is a precursor technology to quantum computing and communications. Quantum sensors use quantum properties and effects to measure or sense physical things. This chapter explores quantum sensing as a topic in its own right, because the capabilities of quantum sensing are surprising and offer new forms of knowledge discovery and at new levels of analysis. Furthermore quantum sensors are here today---indeed, they have been in use for more than fifty years.
Quantum sensing is the most exciting quantum technology and it has the most potential to change our lives in the next decade and beyond. Quantum sensors will offer new capabilities with benefits for medicine, defense, intelligence, extractive industries and many others. Quantum sensing is a precursor technology to quantum computing and communications. Quantum sensors use quantum properties and effects to measure or sense physical things. This chapter explores quantum sensing as a topic in its own right, because the capabilities of quantum sensing are surprising and offer new forms of knowledge discovery and at new levels of analysis. Furthermore quantum sensors are here today---indeed, they have been in use for more than fifty years.
This book chapter explores the application of quantum sensing and metrology in industrial settings and its potential to revolutionize measurement science. Quantum sensing utilizes the principles of quantum mechanics to significantly improve the accuracy, precision, and sensitivity of measurement devices, offering a new paradigm for industrial measurement and control systems. The chapter provides an overview of key concepts and technologies, such as quantum entanglement, superposition, and quantum coherence, elucidating their role in enhancing measurement capabilities in industrial environments. It examines specific applications of quantum sensing, including quantum-based temperature sensors, quantum gravimeters, and quantum-enhanced spectroscopy, showcasing their advantages over classical measurement techniques. By uncovering the potential of quantum sensing in industrial applications, this chapter paves the way for transformative advancements in measurement science within the industrial sector.
Background: High-precision sensing is vital for modern technology, yet conventional sensors are fundamentally constrained by classical noise limits. Quantum sensing leverages principles of quantum mechanics, such as superposition and entanglement, to overcome these barriers, offering unprecedented sensitivity. This review comprehensively analyzes the current state of quantum sensor technology, focusing on its underlying physical principles, emerging applications, and the pathway toward industrial maturation.Methods: We synthesize findings from key research areas, detailing the foundational quantum systems like Nitrogen-Vacancy (NV) centers in diamond and advanced optical techniques. The paper reviews the theoretical methods used to achieve sub-shot-noise performance and discusses the system-level engineering challenges necessary for practical deployment, particularly concerning microwave control and optical readout. We also assess the current landscape of standardization efforts for quantum technologies.Results: Significant breakthroughs are highlighted in both biomedical and environmental sensing. Applications range from tracking cellular redox-status using electron-paramagnetic resonance to ultra-sensitive salinity measurements. The analysis confirms that quantum sensing provides superior resolution compared to classical counterparts, unlocking new capabilities in in-vivo and real-time monitoring.Discussion: While offering transformative potential, widespread adoption faces hurdles, including the maintenance of quantum coherence in ambient environments and the high cost and complexity of current instrumentation. Future efforts must focus on miniaturization, integration with classical systems, and standardized fabrication protocols. Quantum sensing represents the next-generation technological paradigm for metrology.
Quantum sensing, computing, and communication offer some significant improvements on classical technologies, in some cases create fundamentally new capabilities. Quantum technologies are quickly arriving. Even if the most hyped promises in quantum computing are not realized in the next decade, in the near term quantum sensing could shift relationships irrevocably. This book has painted the landscape of quantum's implications---from nation-state concerns of strategic conflict, intelligence gathering, and law enforcement activities; to the concerns of companies that may be subject to industrial policy priorities and restrictions; to the level of the individual who may face institutions with great asymmetries in sensing and sense-making power. This chapter concludes with a forecast of quantum technology scenarios, with forecasts for each quantum technology analyzed in this book, and with a summary of the most important policy issues to pursue.
Sensing and metrology play an important role in fundamental science and applications, by fulfilling the ever-present need for more precise data sets, and by allowing to make more reliable conclusions on the validity of theoretical models. Sensors are ubiquitous, they are used in applications across a diverse range of fields including gravity imaging, geology, navigation, security, timekeeping, spectroscopy, chemistry, magnetometry, healthcare, and medicine. Current progress in quantum technologies inevitably triggers the exploration of quantum systems to be used as sensors with new and improved capabilities. This perspective initially provides a brief review of existing and tested quantum sensing systems, before discussing future possible directions of superconducting quantum circuits use for sensing and metrology: superconducting sensors including many entangled qubits and schemes employing Quantum Error Correction. The perspective also lists future research directions that could be of great value beyond quantum sensing, e.g. for applications in quantum computation and simulation.
Over the past century, quantum theory has taken flight from conceptual breakthroughs, such as wave–particle duality, quantisation of energy, and the uncertainty principle, to practical tools that are the backbone of modern electronics, lasers, semiconductors, and precision measurement systems. In the twenty-first century, this progress under the regime of the second quantum revolution has acquired the ability to directly control, manipulate, and engineer individual quantum systems. Quantum technologies found their pillars in quantum properties, such as superposition, entanglement, and coherence and have exceeded the boundaries of classical physics. The steady theoretical advances, combined with experimental progress, have brought quantum concepts closer to real-life use. Significant progress has made in filed of computation, communication, sensing, navigation, medicine, cyber security, and national defense undr the guidance of quantum technology. This book chapter presents a comprehensive and pedagogical overview of quantum technologies. It highlights quantum computing, quantum communication, and quantum sensing and metrology. The shift of quantum mechanics into practical applications is discussed. Current research trends are reviewed alongside the technological and engineering challenges. The critical issues, such as decoherence, scalability, error correction, standardisation, and workforce development, are discussed, which further highlights the need for global collaboration. Both National governments and the private sector are investing heavily in quantum research. This will act as a booster for quantum technologies to revolutionise information processing, secure communications, and precision measurements. Consequently and will significantly impact the scientific and technological landscape.