Amazing developing of different fundamental and applied areas of quantum science created an ‘explosion’ of alternative paradigms, theoretical methods, experimental approaches and numerical tools. For any particular area, for instance, quantum sensing, a researcher or an engineer who want to get a basic knowledge on the subject can feel lost facing the exponentially extending number of publications in the given field. From one hand, now there is no need to explain the importance of the new generation of quantum devices: the accuracy and fidelity of quantum sensors to compare with their classical physics-based competitors is totally out of discussion. From another hand, observing so many different types of quantum sensors, and so many protocols of sensing, ones can ask themselves: which type of sensor or of protocol should I chose for my practical purpose? The researchers may ask themselves: which types of quantum devices have the best perspective in particular real-life applications, and which of them have rather an academic interest? Here we develop an objective approach to evaluate quantum sensor perspectives in different real-life applications and to provide a guiding thread via the Minotaur labyrinth of different quantum approaches to the most appropriate ones. First, we give a brief review of the most prominent quantum sensor prototypes that we have now in the market. Then, we discuss pros and cons of them in the perspective of real-life application. As a matter of our particular research interest, we also observe some control methods to improve the quantum sensing implementation for different sensor types.
Amazing developing of different fundamental and applied areas of quantum science created an ‘explosion’ of alternative paradigms, theoretical methods, experimental approaches and numerical tools. For any particular area, for instance, quantum sensing, a researcher or an engineer who want to get a basic knowledge on the subject can feel lost facing the exponentially extending number of publications in the given field. From one hand, now there is no need to explain the importance of the new generation of quantum devices: the accuracy and fidelity of quantum sensors to compare with their classical physics-based competitors is totally out of discussion. From another hand, observing so many different types of quantum sensors, and so many protocols of sensing, ones can ask themselves: which type of sensor or of protocol should I chose for my practical purpose? The researchers may ask themselves: which types of quantum devices have the best perspective in particular real-life applications, and which of them have rather an academic interest? Here we develop an objective approach to evaluate quantum sensor perspectives in different real-life applications and to provide a guiding thread via the Minotaur labyrinth of different quantum approaches to the most appropriate ones. First, we give a brief review of the most prominent quantum sensor prototypes that we have now in the market. Then, we discuss pros and cons of them in the perspective of real-life application. As a matter of our particular research interest, we also observe some control methods to improve the quantum sensing implementation for different sensor types.
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.
The current rise of quantum technology is compelled by quantum sensing research. Thousands of research labs are developing and testing a broad range of sensor prototypes. However, there is a lack of knowledge about specific applications and real-world use cases where the benefits of these sensors will be most pronounced. This study presents a comprehensive review of quantum sensing state-of-practice. It also provides a detailed analysis of how quantum sensing overcomes the existing limitations of sensor-driven systems’ precision and performance. Based on the review of over 500 quantum sensor prototype reports, we determined four groups of quantum sensors and discussed their readiness for commercial usage. We concluded that quantum magnetometry and quantum optics are the most advanced sensing technologies with empirically proven results. In turn, quantum timing and kinetics are still in the early stages of practical validation. In addition, we defined four systems domains in which quantum sensors offer a solution for existing limitations of conventional sensing technologies. These domains are 1) GPS-free positioning and navigating services, 2) time-based operations, 3) topological visibility, and 4) environment detection, prediction, and modeling. Finally, we discussed the current constraints of quantum sensing technologies and offered directions for future research.
The recently emerged field of quantum technology is aiming to employ quantum coherence and entanglement for realization of next generation sensors, standards, imaging systems, secure communication and computers.Although applications of quantum technologies cover a broad spectrum and their development stage varies from early demonstrations to commercially available devices, many challenges have been identified.The first includes tailoring materials for quantum technologies, which is playing an essential role in technological applications of quantum science.Solid state systems allowing long coherence time are essential for quantum computation and quantum sensing.Ultrapure materials with tailored isotopic content are important for reaching long coherence time of spin qubits (Awschalom et al., 2013).The ability to place single dopants with high precision and form spin qubits at desired location is essential for both quantum computing and quantum sensing applications (McCallum et al., 2012;Smith et al., 2019).The performance of different types of qubits is usually benchmarked in terms of controllability and coherence time.Usually solid-state systems allow fast control, but exhibit fast decoherence owing to complex environment.It is therefore important to search for new types of qubits combining isolation from environment and access via fast coherent control and readout.Novel approaches combining different quantum systems into build hybrid quantum devices for optimal performance is a promising avenue.Examples of such hybrid approaches are spin systems coupled to superconducting qubits (Kubo et al., 2011) and hybrid nuclear-electronic qubits (Morley et al., 2013).Optimal protocols for quantum technologies requires extension of coherence time of qubits beyond the coherence time of the isolated quantum system.The efficient protection toolkit includes dynamical decoupling (Yang et al., 2011) and quantum error correction (Terhal, 2015) based techniques.Although general principles of qubits protection were developed and tested experimentally in different model environments, it is essential to adapt them to realistic environmental noise.In the field of quantum sensing, it is also essential to combine protections against noise with non-reduced sensing performance.Experimental imperfections can be addressed using optimal control tools (Glaser et al., 2015).The development of efficient quantum algorithms is another growing field belonging to quantum software area.On one hand, it is essential to find problems where a quantum computer can outperform classical computers.On the other hand, it is essential to develop an application scenario for a limited number of qubits (Montanaro, 2016).In addition, in order to develop new algorithms, future work must include discoveries of application scenarios of already known algorithms.Application of quantum Fourier transform for sensing is a promising example of such new applications (Vorobyov et al., 2021).Signal processing is another field of quantum software that is becoming essential in applications.Advanced signal analysis protocols, like quantum compressed sensing, can be employed to quantify entanglement in large quantum devices via efficient quantum tomography (Riofrío et al., 2017).
Quantum sensors represent a new generation of sensors with improved precision, accuracy, stability, and robustness to environmental effects compared to their classical predecessors. After decades of laboratory development, several types of quantum sensors are now commercially available or are part-way through the commercialization process. This article provides a brief description of the operation of a selection of quantum sensors that employ the principles of atom-light interactions and discusses progress toward packaging those sensors into products. This article covers quantum inertial and gravitational sensors, including gyroscopes, accelerometers, gravimeters, and gravity gradiometers that employ atom interferometry, nuclear magnetic resonance gyroscopes, atomic and spin-defect magnetometers, and Rydberg electric field sensors.
Quantum sensors represent a new generation of sensors with improved precision, accuracy, stability, and robustness to environmental effects compared to their classical predecessors. After decades of laboratory development, several types of quantum sensors are now commercially available or are part-way through the commercialization process. This paper provides a brief description of the operation of a selection of quantum sensors that employ the principles of atom–light interactions and discusses progress toward packaging those sensors into products. This paper covers quantum inertial and gravitational sensors, including gyroscopes, accelerometers, gravimeters, and gravity gradiometers that employ atom interferometry, nuclear magnetic resonance gyroscopes, atomic and spin-defect magnetometers, and Rydberg electric field sensors.
Quantum sensing technology is already providing value and potential use cases can shape multiple industries. There are four core technologies with promising applications - solid state spins, neutral atoms, superconducting circuits, and trapped ions - which have sensing capabilities across a broad range of physical properties, including magnetic fields, electric fields, rotation, temperature, gravity, time, and pressure. Which quantum sensing technology and implementation type to use depends on the use case, as they measure different properties and are best suited to specific environments. This paper discusses the potential and current applications of the abovementioned quantum sensing technologies through varied use-case studies. They are presented around four specific industries and along different time horizons, emphasizing the need for further development and enhancement that can be achieved over the conventional counterparts. The full power of quantum sensors is not yet known, but they have the potential to create an entire new ecosystem if researchers, start-ups, and industry leaders work together to explore their applications and get them out of the lab. Here, the paper outlines necessary actions and possible avenues for the stakeholders to realize this potential across academia and industry.