Diamond sensor picks up the heart's magnetic signals
A tiny defect in diamond is like a microscopic ear, able to pick up the magnetic 'breath' of the heart. Such sensors work at room temperature and are no bigger than a grain of sand.
Hunting the Invisible: How to Catch Axions
In deep cold, at a temperature just two degrees above absolute zero, a copper cavity the size of a saucepan listens to the silence of the universe.
Light Controls Nuclear Spins in Crystals
Tiny magnets inside atoms, nuclear spins, can 'freeze' for long minutes in a cold crystal. This hinders the quick tuning of quantum sensors: everything takes too long to reach the desired state. Physicists have found a way to nudge them with light.