Diamond Quantum Sensor Hits 48 MHz Bandwidth
Monash University researchers widened the sensing bandwidth of a diamond quantum sensor more than tenfold over previous designs.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Quantum Computing
Researchers at Monash University achieved a single resonance bandwidth of 48 MHz in a diamond quantum sensor, more than ten times greater than earlier diamond sensors. The sensor reached a sensitivity of 548 pT/sqrt(Hz) in a very small diamond volume.
Why it matters
Narrow resonance linewidths had previously limited how much bandwidth diamond quantum sensors could sense, restricting their practical range. A broader bandwidth could open these sensors to applications requiring faster or wider signal detection.
The sensor achieved a 48 MHz single resonance bandwidth from an active diamond volume of 2.5 x 10^-4 mm^3 containing 2 x 10^11 nitrogen vacancy centres. Peak sensitivity fell to 8.5 nT/sqrt(Hz) at the broadest bandwidth, and the team has not yet resolved how to balance speed and signal clarity.
The players
Monash University
Monash University is a public research university in Melbourne, Australia, known for its work across engineering, science and quantum technologies.
The details
Researchers combined heterodyne mixing with strong microwave driving under a magnetic gradient, applying multiple modulated microwave fields to drive the nitrogen vacancy centres. The experiments ran without static fields beyond ambient equipment noise around 100 μT.
Timeline
Article reporting the bandwidth result published November 2, 2026.
The Tech Race
Diamond nitrogen vacancy sensors have been pursued as compact quantum sensors, and this result extends that line of work by widening the bandwidth that narrow resonance linewidths had previously constrained. The gain positions diamond sensors for communication-system components alongside other quantum sensing platforms.
The broader bandwidth could eventually allow diamond quantum sensors to serve as components in advanced communication systems. The researchers note that further refinement is still needed before speed and signal clarity can be balanced.
The takeaway
The result shows that a bandwidth limit long assumed for diamond quantum sensors can be pushed back, though sensitivity trade-offs remain to be solved. Readers following quantum sensing should watch whether the 48 MHz figure carries over to practical systems.
Further reading
For related developments, see the Quantum Computing section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Quantum Zeitgeist.
