Diamonds may be best known for their sparkle, but scientists are now showing that these gems could be just as valuable for powering the future of quantum technology.
A research team from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Humboldt University in Berlin has found a way to capture nearly all the light emitted from tiny defects in diamonds, pushing forward the development of quantum computers, sensors, and secure communication systems.
The defects in question are called nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers—small imperfections in the diamond’s crystal structure.
Though invisible to the human eye, they can act like quantum light switches, producing single photons of light that carry information.
These single photons are essential for quantum devices, but until now, most of the light emitted by NV centers has been lost.
The photons scatter in all directions, making it nearly impossible to capture enough of them for practical use.
The team tackled this problem by creating hybrid nanoantennas—structures designed at the nanoscale that can catch and direct light.
These antennas were built from carefully layered metals and dielectric materials arranged in a bullseye-like pattern.
By placing nanodiamonds containing NV centers exactly at the antenna’s center, with precision down to a few billionths of a meter, the researchers could funnel the emitted light into a single, controlled direction.
The results, published in APL Quantum, are groundbreaking. The new system collected up to 80 percent of the emitted photons at room temperature, a huge leap compared to earlier efforts where only a tiny fraction of the light could be harnessed.
This level of efficiency is close to the theoretical maximum and marks a major step toward practical quantum devices.
Professor Uriel Rapaport of Hebrew University emphasized the significance of the breakthrough: “By making photon collection more efficient, we’re opening the door to real quantum technologies.
This could enable secure quantum communication and sensors capable of detecting signals at levels we’ve never seen before.”
Dr. Alex Lubotzky, a co-author of the study, added that one of the most exciting aspects of the advance is its practicality. “What excites us is that this works in a simple, chip-based design and at room temperature,” he said. “That means it can be integrated into real-world systems much more easily than before.”
The research highlights how diamonds, long prized for beauty, are now being harnessed for their unique physical properties.
By controlling their tiny defects with nanotechnology, scientists are unlocking new ways to process and transmit information.
With global efforts to build quantum computers and networks moving rapidly, this advance could help bring the technology out of the lab and into everyday applications.
In the race to develop quantum devices, it seems diamonds may indeed be forever.
