Quantum sensors’ responsiveness to their physical environment enables detection of variables such as temperature (T), pressure (P), and strain. We present a molecular platform for PT sensing using para-terphenyl crystals doped with pentacene (PDP), leveraging optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) of photoexcited triplet electron spins. We observe maximal frequency variations of d f/ d P=1.8 MHz/bar from 0-8 bar and d f/ d T=247 kHz/K from 79–330 K, over 1200 times and threefold greater, respectively, than those seen with nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond and > 85-fold greater pressure sensitivity over the previous record. Density functional theory calculations indicate picometer-level PT-induced molecular orbital shifts are measurable via ODMR. PDP offers additional advantages including high sensor doping levels, narrow ODMR linewidths, high contrast, and low-cost single crystal growth. Overall, this work reports low-cost, optically-interrogated PT sensors and lays the foundation for increased versatility of quantum sensors through synthetic molecular design.
Figures
17 panels with data across 3 figures. Each panel page shows the plot, its columns and its files; each data.csv begins with a header naming the paper, the panel, the source, the license and the provenance route.
Fig. 1
panel (d): Zero-field ODMR spectrum at 300 K: $\Delta$PL/PL% against microwave frequency (MHz), with the $T_{xy}$, $T_{yz}$ and $T_{xz}$ transitions. The frequency axis is broken between 150 and 1300 MHz, as printed. data.csv
panel (e): Zero-field ODMR spectrum at 79 K: $\Delta$PL/PL% against microwave frequency (MHz), with the $T_{xy}$, $T_{yz}$ and $T_{xz}$ transitions. The frequency axis is broken between 150 and 1300 MHz, as printed. data.csv
Fig. 2
panel (a-1): Waterfall of ODMR spectra of the $T_{xy}$ transition: signal (arb. units) against frequency (MHz) at 44 measured cold-finger temperatures $T_m$ from 79 K to 325 K, one curve each, coloured blue to red with increasing temperature. Curves stand at equal steps along the temperature axis (the temperatures are nearly equally spaced); the dashed guide line and arrow of the print are not drawn. data.csv
panel (a-2): Waterfall of ODMR spectra of the $T_{xz}$ transition: signal (arb. units) against frequency (MHz) at 40 measured cold-finger temperatures $T_m$ from 80 K to 316 K, one curve each, coloured blue to red with increasing temperature. Curves stand at equal steps along the temperature axis (the temperatures are nearly equally spaced); the dashed guide line and arrow of the print are not drawn. data.csv
panel (b-1): ODMR peak frequency (MHz) of the $T_{xy}$ transition against measured cold-finger temperature $T_m$ (K); points are the measured peak positions, red lines are linear fits over the three regions. The shaded regions I-III and the 193 K marker of the print are not drawn. data.csv
panel (b-2): ODMR peak frequency (MHz) of the $T_{yz}$ transition against measured cold-finger temperature $T_m$ (K); points are the measured peak positions, red line is a linear fit. The shaded regions I-III and the 193 K marker of the print are not drawn. data.csv
panel (b-3): ODMR peak frequency (MHz) of the $T_{xz}$ transition against measured cold-finger temperature $T_m$ (K); points are the measured peak positions, red line is a linear fit. The shaded regions I-III and the 193 K marker of the print are not drawn. data.csv
panel (d-1): Zero-field splitting parameter $D$ (MHz) against measured cold-finger temperature $T_m$ (K), the upper of the two stacked plots of (d). The shaded regions I-III and the 193 K marker of the print are not drawn. data.csv
panel (d-2): Zero-field splitting parameter $E$ (MHz) against measured cold-finger temperature $T_m$ (K), the lower of the two stacked plots of (d). The shaded regions I-III and the 193 K marker of the print are not drawn. data.csv
panel (e): Absolute ODMR contrast $|\Delta$PL/PL%$|$ of the $T_{xy}$ transition against measured cold-finger temperature $T_m$ (K). The shaded regions I-III and the 193 K marker of the print are not drawn. data.csv
Fig. 3
panel (a): Waterfall of ODMR spectra of the $T_{yz}$ transition: signal (arb. units) against frequency (MHz) at 50 applied pressures from 1 to 8.3 bar, one curve each, coloured blue to red with increasing pressure. Curves stand at equal steps along the pressure axis, not at their pressures as printed; the dashed guide line and arrow are not drawn. data.csv
panel (b): Waterfall of ODMR spectra of the $T_{xz}$ transition: signal (arb. units) against frequency (MHz) at 48 applied pressures from 1 to 8.3 bar, one curve each, coloured blue to red with increasing pressure. Curves stand at equal steps along the pressure axis, not at their pressures as printed; the dashed guide line and arrow are not drawn. data.csv
panel (c-1): ODMR peak frequency (MHz) of the $T_{yz}$ transition against applied pressure (Bar); points are the measured peak positions, red lines are linear fits over two pressure ranges. data.csv
panel (c-2): ODMR peak frequency (MHz) of the $T_{xz}$ transition against applied pressure (Bar); points are the measured peak positions, red lines are linear fits over two pressure ranges. data.csv
panel (d): Zero-field splitting parameter $D$ (MHz) against applied pressure (Bar), with two red linear fits. Printed as an inset in the corner of (c)(ii); hosted as its own panel. data.csv
panel (e-1): Absolute ODMR contrast $|\Delta$PL/PL%$|$ of the $T_{yz}$ transition against applied pressure (Bar). The point at 1 bar lies left of the printed axis and is shown here. data.csv
panel (e-2): Absolute ODMR contrast $|\Delta$PL/PL%$|$ of the $T_{xz}$ transition against applied pressure (Bar). The point at 1 bar lies left of the printed axis and is shown here. data.csv
Fig. 4
Illustrative figure, no extractable data. Shown in the paper PDF.
Cite
Harpreet Singh, Noella D’Souza, Joseph Garrett, Angad Singh, Brian Blankenship, Emanuel Druga, Riccardo Montis, Liang Z. Tan, Ashok Ajoy. High sensitivity pressure and temperature quantum sensing in pentacene-doped p-terphenyl single crystals. Nat. Commun. 16, 10530 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-65508-2
When you use hosted data, cite the original paper and give the panel's URL so a reader can find the exact values you used.