Applications · Quantum computing

Spin control at room temperature.

The nitrogen-vacancy spin we read for sensing can also be prepared and read out with light, and controlled with microwaves, at room temperature. That makes it a candidate building block for quantum information.

Where we stand

Longer horizon. A research direction we follow. No product today.

The domain

Many qubits have to be kept cold.

Several leading qubit platforms run a fraction of a degree above absolute zero, inside dilution refrigerators. That cooling adds cost and complexity.

A nitrogen-vacancy centre in diamond behaves differently. Its electron spin can be prepared and read out with light, and controlled with microwaves, at room temperature. Coupled to nearby nuclear spins, it forms a small quantum register. Scaling that register to many connected qubits is still an open research problem, and most work on linking NV qubits over distance is done at cryogenic temperatures.

An NV electron spin coupled to a neighbouring nuclear spin: a small register at room temperature.

Why diamond

What helps sensing also helps information.

Read with light

The spin is prepared and read out optically, the same mechanism our sensors rely on.

Coherent at room temperature

It keeps a coherent spin state at room temperature, without a dilution refrigerator.

A local register

Nearby nuclear spins extend a single centre into a small quantum register.

Shared foundation

Coherence is the common thread: the material work that improves our sensors also matters here.

What carries over

The material and the spin control carry over.

We follow quantum information as a research direction. The diamond material and the spin control that our sensors need carry over to it, and we keep track of the field.

Questions

The basics, answered.

Can nitrogen-vacancy centres be used as qubits?

Yes. The electron spin of a nitrogen-vacancy centre in diamond can be prepared and read out optically, controlled with microwaves, and coupled to nearby nuclear spins to form a small quantum register. NV centres are an established platform for research in quantum sensing, quantum networking and quantum information.

What does room-temperature quantum computing mean?

It refers to quantum hardware that runs without cryogenic cooling. Several qubit platforms need temperatures close to absolute zero. A single NV spin and its nearby nuclear spins can be controlled at room temperature, which is why diamond is studied for this. Scaling to many connected qubits at room temperature remains an open research question.

Where is quantum computing on Spectral Flow's roadmap?

It is a longer-horizon research direction, not a product. Spectral Flow's first application is navigation without GPS; the diamond material and spin control it requires carry over to quantum information over time.