Nanoscale Quantum Sensor Uncovers High-Speed Magnetic Fluctuations

[allanberl]

A research team led by the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has discovered a novel method to measure high-speed fluctuations in magnetic materials at the nanoscale. Their findings, published in Nano Letters, could help advance both traditional computing and the emerging field of quantum computing by providing deeper insights into magnetic phase transitions.
Understanding Magnetic Phase Transitions

Many materials undergo phase transitions, where their fundamental properties shift in distinct steps as temperature changes. Understanding these transitions is crucial for developing new technologies that leverage unique physical properties.

In this study, the team used a nanoscale quantum sensor to measure spin fluctuations in a magnetic thin film as it neared a phase transition. Thin films with magnetic properties at room temperature are essential for data storage, sensors, and electronic devices, as they allow for precise control and manipulation of magnetism.
Advanced Quantum Sensing with Nitrogen-Vacancy Centers

To achieve these measurements, the researchers employed a scanning nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center microscope at ORNL’s Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, a DOE Office of Science user facility.

A nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center is an atomic-scale defect in diamond where a nitrogen atom replaces a carbon atom, and an adjacent carbon atom is missing. This unique structure creates quantum spin states that can interact with magnetic fields, making NV centers highly sensitive nanoscale sensors.

Using the NV center microscope, scientists were able to detect static and fluctuating magnetic fields at the level of a single spin, enabling an unprecedented view of nanoscale magnetic structures.

"The nitrogen-vacancy center functions as both a quantum bit (qubit) and a highly sensitive sensor, which we moved across the thin film to measure temperature-dependent changes in magnetic properties and spin fluctuations that could not be detected by other means," explained Ben Lawrie, a research scientist in ORNL’s Materials Science and Technology Division.
Revealing Spin Fluctuations at Phase Transitions

Spin fluctuations occur when the magnetic orientation of a material keeps shifting direction rather than remaining fixed. By adjusting the sample temperature, the researchers observed how spin fluctuations evolved as the material underwent a phase transition between different magnetic states.

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These measurements provided new insights into how local spin fluctuations interact on a global scale near phase transitions. Understanding this behavior could lead to new spin-based information-processing technologies and advancements in quantum materials research.
Future Implications: Spintronics and Quantum Computing

This study contributes to spintronics, an emerging field that seeks to use electron spin rather than charge for more efficient data storage and computing. Additionally, it offers potential breakthroughs in spin-based quantum computing, where controlling spin interactions could unlock new methods for quantum simulations beyond classical limits.

"Advances in spintronics will enhance digital storage and computing efficiency," Lawrie noted. "Meanwhile, spin-based quantum computing holds the promise of enabling classically inaccessible simulations—if we can learn to control how spins interact with their environment."

By bridging quantum physics and nanotechnology, this research sets the stage for the next generation of magnetic sensing, information processing, and quantum technologies.