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Interacting nuclear spins on a crystalline lattice are commonly believed to be well described within a thermodynamic framework that uses the concept of spin temperature. Demagnetization experiments now challenge this belief, showing that in general the spin-temperature concept fails to describe a nuclear-spin ensemble in a quantum dot when strong quadrupolar interactions are induced by strain.

Magnetic fields are imaged with nanoscale resolution and high sensitivity using nitrogen-vacancy centres embedded in high-purity diamond nanopillars.

CrSBr is a van der Waals layered antiferromagnet. Unlike many other van der Waals magnetic materials it is air stable, and in addition hosts a rich array of magneto-optical responses. Here, Tabataba-Vakili et al demonstrate that the magnetic and optical response of CrSBr is sensitive to gating, allowing electrical control of the magneto-optical properties.

Single electron spins have been detected before, but the methods used proved difficult to extend to multi-spin systems. A magnetic resonance imaging technique is now demonstrated that resolves proximal spins in three dimensions with nanometre-scale resolution. In addition to spatial mapping, the approach allows for coherent control of the individual spins.

The efficient and robust manipulation of single spins is an essential requirement for successful quantum devices. The manipulation of a single nitrogen–vacancy spin centre is now demonstrated by means of a mechanical resonator approach.

A magnetometer focused on nitrogen-vacancy centres in diamond can image the magnetic dipole field of a single target electron spin at room temperature and ambient pressure.

High-spatial-resolution magnetometry at cryogenic temperature can be achieved with nitrogen–vacancy centres, allowing detailed imaging of Pearl vortices in the cuprate superconductor YBa₂Cu₃O_7−δ.

A single nitrogen–vacancy magnetometer can be used for imaging with lateral and vertical resolutions of 0.8 nm and 1.5 nm, respectively.

In semiconductor quantum dots, interactions between the confined electrons and the surrounding reservoir of nuclear spins limit the attainable electron-spin coherence. But the nuclear-spin reservoir can also take a constructive role, as it facilitates the locking of the optical quantum-dot resonance to the changing frequency of an external driving laser, as an experiment now demonstrates.

Nitrogen-vacancy colour centres in diamond are promising examples for solid-state multi-spin-qubit systems. Here, the spin environment of nitrogen vacancy centres is studied spectroscopically, uncovering a mechanism for spin-flip suppression that opens the way for quantum information applications.

Nitrogen vacancy centre quantum sensors are quantitative, non-invasive and physically robust probes of condensed matter systems that offer nanoscale resolution across a wide range of temperatures. This Technical Review discusses the connections between NV measurements and important physical characteristics in condensed matter.

A non-invasive scanning magnetometer, based on a single nitrogen–vacancy defect in diamond, visualizes antiferromagnetic order at the nanometre scale in thin films of bismuth ferrite at room temperature.

Fast, single-photon detection enables the observation of entanglement between a stationary quantum bit (a single quantum dot spin) and a propagating quantum bit (a single photon), marking a first step towards the implementation of a quantum network with nodes consisting of semiconductor spin quantum bits.