Sub-Shot-Noise Quantum Metrology via Entangled Nitrogen-Vacancy Centers in Diamond for Nanoscale Biological Sensing
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia 
Abstract
Nanoscale biological magnetic signals are difficult to resolve because weak target coupling, surface-induced decoherence, and photon shot noise constrain nitrogen-vacancy (NV) sensing precision. This study aimed to determine whether entangled near-surface NV centers in diamond can achieve robust sub-shot-noise sensitivity under experimentally plausible biological conditions. A theoretical-computational design compared independent NV centers, spin-squeezed ensembles, and Greenberger–Horne–Zeilinger (GHZ) states across 12,000 simulated configurations. Resource-matched simulations incorporated sensor depth, entanglement depth, coherence time, preparation fidelity, environmental noise, target distance, photon-detection efficiency, and readout contrast. Metrological performance was evaluated through phase uncertainty, magnetic-field sensitivity, Fisher information, and bootstrap confidence intervals. Spin-squeezed states achieved a mean sensitivity gain of 1.43 and surpassed the shot-noise limit in 61.8% of configurations, whereas GHZ states attained greater peak enhancement but remained robust in only 43.6%. Optimal performance occurred at NV depths of 8–12 nm and moderate entanglement depths, where biological target coupling and coherence preservation were balanced. A ferritin-like sensing case yielded a 1.54-fold sensitivity gain over the independent-spin benchmark. These findings establish spin squeezing as a more reliable resource than maximal entanglement for nanoscale biosensing. Experimental validation should prioritize surface passivation, efficient photon collection, and resource-equivalent benchmarking before application to realistic, complex, dynamic living biological specimens.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Noor Al Saud, Abdullah Al Shammari, Mona Al Johani
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