Short answer: A nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centre is a crystal defect in diamond that can act as a nanoscale quantum sensor, probing magnetic and electric fields locally. Published reviews describe it as quantitative, non-invasive, physically robust and usable across a wide range of temperatures. It is mainly a research tool today, and the results below are the authors' own reports.
What an NV centre is
A 2014 Annual Review of Physical Chemistry article notes that crystal defects in diamond have emerged as unique objects for many applications, both because they are very stable and because they have interesting optical properties. Embedded in nanocrystals, they can serve as robust single-photon sources or as fluorescent biomarkers of unlimited photostability and low cytotoxicity. The review calls the most fascinating aspect the ability of some defects, most prominently the NV centre, to locally detect and measure a number of physical quantities, including magnetic and electric fields.
Why researchers use them for condensed-matter physics
A 2024 Nature Reviews Physics article says NV centre sensors provide unique opportunities for studying condensed matter systems. They are quantitative, non-invasive, physically robust, offer nanoscale resolution, and may be used across a wide range of temperatures. In recent years they have been used to obtain nanoscale-resolution measurements of static magnetic fields from spin order and current flow.
Compared with other nanoscale magnetic-field sensors, the article says NV centres can probe quantities that go beyond average magnetic fields. Using techniques from magnetic resonance, they can perform high-precision noise sensing. The review lists fluctuating electrical currents in simple metals and graphene, and magnetic dynamics in yttrium iron garnet, among the systems accessed this way.
Using many sensors at once
A 2025 Physics magazine piece from the American Physical Society reports that two independent groups used more than 100 NV sensors in parallel. In the platform they describe, laser light simultaneously manipulates and reads out the states of multiple NV centres. This reveals correlations between the defects, such as in the noise associated with the local magnetic field. The article says the platform could be a powerful tool for the fast-advancing fields of solid-state and many-body quantum physics.
What this does not tell you
These are laboratory results reported in review articles and a news-and-views piece. They describe what researchers have measured and demonstrated, not commercial products, and nothing in the sources is about use outside research settings. We have not verified the experiments ourselves. Performance in a given experiment depends on the setup, so figures from one paper should not be assumed to carry over to another.
FAQ
What is an NV centre?
A nitrogen-vacancy centre is a crystal defect in diamond. Introducing nitrogen atoms into the diamond lattice creates defects that can act as quantum sensors.
What can it measure?
According to the 2014 review, the NV centre can locally detect and measure physical quantities including magnetic and electric fields.
Why use it instead of other nanoscale sensors?
The 2024 review says NV centres are quantitative, non-invasive and physically robust, offer nanoscale resolution and work across a wide range of temperatures, and can probe quantities beyond average magnetic fields.
What has been demonstrated recently?
Two independent groups reported platforms using more than 100 NV sensors in parallel, with laser light manipulating and reading out multiple centres at once.
Is this a commercial technology?
The sources are research publications and do not describe commercial deployment. This article makes no such claim.
All field notes