HUN-REN Wigner Researchers Participate in an International Collaboration Concerning the Development of Quantum Sensors for Extreme Conditions

With the rapid advancement of quantum technology, sensors capable of performing extremely precise measurements are becoming increasingly important. Solid-state quantum sensors, particularly those based on specialized materials such as diamond, are especially promising.

For both industrial and research applications, it is crucial that these quantum systems operate reliably under extreme conditions, such as very low temperatures, high pressures, or strong magnetic fields.

Within the international SENSEXTREME project, researchers at the HUN-REN Wigner Research Centre for Physics collaborated with partners from France, Germany, Lithuania, and Switzerland. The research focused on developing new types of quantum sensors capable of accurate measurements in such extreme environments using so-called colour centres in diamond. These colour centres include dopant-vacancy complexes—point defects in the diamond crystal lattice where a missing atom is combined with foreign atoms.

During the project, the researchers worked on improving the performance of diamond-based quantum sensors. The Hungarian team contributed primarily through theoretical calculations and computational modelling. Their work focused on understanding the behaviour of quantum defects created in diamond, such as silicon- and tin-vacancy colour centres, under various material and environmental conditions. They also investigated how to measure strong magnetic fields at extremely low temperatures and high pressures, which is essential for the development of next-generation quantum sensors.

“Our goal was to achieve a precise understanding of how these quantum states can be stabilised with atomic-scale accuracy and how their different properties can be compared. This enables the calibration of measurable physical quantities, such as pressure, temperature, or magnetic field, relative to one another,” said Ádám Gali, lead Hungarian researcher of the project and Research Professor at the HUN-REN Wigner Research Centre for Physics.

The theoretical calculations also make it possible to measure magnetic fields with high spatial resolution at very low temperatures or extremely high pressures, which may contribute to the development of new materials, such as superconductors.

In the long term, the results of the SENSEXTREME project not only support the development of highly precise sensors capable of operating under extreme conditions but may also enable the production of significantly more energy-efficient motors and other devices essential for sustainable development.

The contribution of Hungarian researchers helps ensure that the HUN-REN Wigner Research Centre for Physics—and, through it, Hungary—actively participates in shaping European quantum technology developments, strengthening the continent’s long-term competitiveness in this field.

The project was supported under grant No. 2019-2.1.7-ERA-NET-2022-00040.