Nature Communications (May 2024)

Diamond with Sp 2-Sp 3 composite phase for thermometry at Millikelvin temperatures

  • Jianan Yin,
  • Yang Yan,
  • Mulin Miao,
  • Jiayin Tang,
  • Jiali Jiang,
  • Hui Liu,
  • Yuhan Chen,
  • Yinxian Chen,
  • Fucong Lyu,
  • Zhengyi Mao,
  • Yunhu He,
  • Lei Wan,
  • Binbin Zhou,
  • Jian Lu

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-48137-z
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 15, no. 1
pp. 1 – 8

Abstract

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Abstract Temperature is one of the seven fundamental physical quantities. The ability to measure temperatures approaching absolute zero has driven numerous advances in low-temperature physics and quantum physics. Currently, millikelvin temperatures and below are measured through the characterization of a certain thermal state of the system as there is no traditional thermometer capable of measuring temperatures at such low levels. In this study, we develop a kind of diamond with sp 2-sp 3 composite phase to tackle this problem. The synthesized composite phase diamond (CPD) exhibits a negative temperature coefficient, providing an excellent fit across a broad temperature range, and reaching a temperature measurement limit of 1 mK. Additionally, the CPD demonstrates low magnetic field sensitivity and excellent thermal stability, and can be fabricated into probes down to 1 micron in diameter, making it a promising candidate for the manufacture of next-generation cryogenic temperature sensors. This development is significant for the low-temperature physics researches, and can help facilitate the transition of quantum computing, quantum simulation, and other related technologies from research to practical applications.