Tiny thermometers
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Subjects BiosensorsNanosensors Access through your institution Buy or subscribe Their aim was to build a nanoscale quantum sensor that combined long spin coherence with material uniformity. That uniformity is important as each sensing particle should have a consistent spectral response. Defect-based sensors, for example, are created through inherently random processes that can produce variations in the local spin environment. This results in a modification of the readout signal that makes measurements harder to calibrate.Ishiwata and co-workers used pentacene molecules embedded in organic nanocrystals, coated with a polymer that made them more compatible with cells and more easily dispersed in water. Through optically detected magnetic resonance, they first showed that the particles retained measurable spin contrast and coherent quantum control. This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution Access options Access through your institution Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription $32.99 / 30 days cancel any time Learn more Subscribe to this journal Receive 12 print issues and online access $259.00 per year only $21.58 per issue Learn more Rent or buy this article Prices vary by article type from$1.95 to$39.95 Learn more Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout Author informationAuthors and AffiliationsNature Physics https://www.nature.com/nphys/Leonardo BeniniAuthorsLeonardo BeniniView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarCorresponding authorCorrespondence to Leonardo Benini.Rights and permissionsReprints and permissionsAbout this articleCite this articleBenini, L. Tiny thermometers. Nat. Phys. (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-026-03347-8Download citationPublished: 15 June 2026Version of record: 15 June 2026DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-026-03347-8Share this articleAnyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:Get shareable linkSorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.Copy shareable link to clipboard Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative