Quantum sensing with spin defects in 2D materials
Coordinator : Vincent JACQUES
Spin defects with optically detectable magnetic resonances in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) are currently attracting a deep scientific interest for the deployment of quantum sensing technologies on a two-dimensional (2D) material platform.
Our work builds upon this momentum by primarily investigating the properties of the boron vacancy (VB) in hBN, a point defect that stands out as a highly promising candidate for the design of a flexible 2D quantum sensing platform, easily integrable into complex van der Waals heterostructures. This approach could enable an ultimate, atomic-scale proximity between the sensor and the studied sample. We employ this platform to explore phase transitions in 2D materials — such as ferromagnets and superconductors — under extreme condition of pressure and temperature.
Some recent publications :
- Magnetic imaging under high pressure with a spin-based quantum sensor integrated in a van der Waals heterostructure, Z. Mu, J. Fraunié, A. Durand, S. Clément, A. Finco, J. Rouquette, A. Hadj-Azzem, N. Rougemaille, J. Coraux, J. Li, T. Poirier, J. H. Edgar, I. C. Gerber, X. Marie, B. Gil, G. Cassabois, C. Robert,and V. Jacques, Nature Communications 16, 8574 (2025)
- Impact of thickness-dependent nanophotonic effects on the optical response of color centers in hexagonal boron nitride, T. Clua-Provost, A. Durand, J. Fraunié, C. Robert, X. Marie, J. Li, J. H. Edgar, B. Gil, J.-M. Gérard, G. Cassabois, and V. Jacques, Nano Lett. 24, 12915 (2024)
- Optically Active Spin Defects in Few-Layer Thick Hexagonal Boron Nitride, A. Durand, T. Clua-Provost, F. Fabre, P. Kumar, J. Li, J. H. Edgar, P. Udvarhelyi, A. Gali, X. Marie, C. Robert, J. M. Gérard, B. Gil, G. Cassabois, and V. Jacques, Phys. Rev. Lett. 131, 116902 (2023)
- Isotopic Control of the Boron-Vacancy Spin Defect in Hexagonal Boron Nitride, T. Clua-Provost, A. Durand, Z. Mu, T. Rastoin, J. Fraunié, E. Janzen, H. Schutte, J. H. Edgar, G. Seine, A. Claverie, X. Marie, C. Robert, B. Gil, G. Cassabois, and V. Jacques, Phys. Rev. Lett. 131, 126901 (2023)
Fundings :
This research activity is supported by the Plan France 2030 initiatives QuanTEdu-France, the EquipEx+ progam 2DMAG, the Occitanie Region project QuET34, the ANR project Qfoil and the ANR/NSF project QISE.