_version_ 1866917224686551040
author Omar, Muhib
Benke, Magnus
Zhang, Shaowen
Zhang, Jixing
Kuebler, Michael
Sharbati, Pouya
Rahimpour, Ara
Gueck, Arno
Kapitonova, Maryna
Kadam, Devyani
Geiser, Carlos Rene Izquierdo
Haller, Jens
Trautmann, Arno
Jag-Lauber, Katharina
Roelver, Robert
Nguyen, Thanh-Duc
Gizzi, Leonardo
Schweizer, Michelle
Abdelsayed, Mena
Wickenbrock, Ingo
Edmonds, Andrew M.
Markham, Matthew
Koss, Peter A.
Schnell, Oliver
Hofmann, Ulrich G.
Ball, Tonio
Beck, Juergen
Budker, Dmitry
Wrachtrup, Joerg
Wickenbrock, Arne
author_facet Omar, Muhib
Benke, Magnus
Zhang, Shaowen
Zhang, Jixing
Kuebler, Michael
Sharbati, Pouya
Rahimpour, Ara
Gueck, Arno
Kapitonova, Maryna
Kadam, Devyani
Geiser, Carlos Rene Izquierdo
Haller, Jens
Trautmann, Arno
Jag-Lauber, Katharina
Roelver, Robert
Nguyen, Thanh-Duc
Gizzi, Leonardo
Schweizer, Michelle
Abdelsayed, Mena
Wickenbrock, Ingo
Edmonds, Andrew M.
Markham, Matthew
Koss, Peter A.
Schnell, Oliver
Hofmann, Ulrich G.
Ball, Tonio
Beck, Juergen
Budker, Dmitry
Wrachtrup, Joerg
Wickenbrock, Arne
contents We demonstrate direct, non-invasive and non-contact detection of human cardiac magnetic signals using quantum sensors based on nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond. Three configurations were employed recording magnetocardiography (MCG) signals in various shielded and unshielded environments. The signals were averaged over a few hundreds up to several thousands of heart beats to detect the MCG traces. The compact room-temperature NV sensors exhibit sensitivities of 6-26 pT/Hz^(1/2) with active sensing volumes below 0.5 mm^3, defining the performance level of the demonstrated MCG measurements. While the present signals are obtained by averaging, this performance already indicates a clear path toward single-shot MCG sensing. To move beyond shielded environments toward practical clinical use, strong noise suppression is required. To this end, we implement NV-based gradiometry and achieve efficient common-mode noise rejection, enabled by the intrinsically small sensing volume of NV sensors. Together, these multi-platform results obtained across diverse magnetic environments provide a solid foundation for translating quantum sensors into human medical diagnostics such as MCG and magnetoencephalography (MEG).
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2601_18843
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Human Cardiac Measurements with Diamond Magnetometers
Omar, Muhib
Benke, Magnus
Zhang, Shaowen
Zhang, Jixing
Kuebler, Michael
Sharbati, Pouya
Rahimpour, Ara
Gueck, Arno
Kapitonova, Maryna
Kadam, Devyani
Geiser, Carlos Rene Izquierdo
Haller, Jens
Trautmann, Arno
Jag-Lauber, Katharina
Roelver, Robert
Nguyen, Thanh-Duc
Gizzi, Leonardo
Schweizer, Michelle
Abdelsayed, Mena
Wickenbrock, Ingo
Edmonds, Andrew M.
Markham, Matthew
Koss, Peter A.
Schnell, Oliver
Hofmann, Ulrich G.
Ball, Tonio
Beck, Juergen
Budker, Dmitry
Wrachtrup, Joerg
Wickenbrock, Arne
Medical Physics
Quantum Physics
We demonstrate direct, non-invasive and non-contact detection of human cardiac magnetic signals using quantum sensors based on nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond. Three configurations were employed recording magnetocardiography (MCG) signals in various shielded and unshielded environments. The signals were averaged over a few hundreds up to several thousands of heart beats to detect the MCG traces. The compact room-temperature NV sensors exhibit sensitivities of 6-26 pT/Hz^(1/2) with active sensing volumes below 0.5 mm^3, defining the performance level of the demonstrated MCG measurements. While the present signals are obtained by averaging, this performance already indicates a clear path toward single-shot MCG sensing. To move beyond shielded environments toward practical clinical use, strong noise suppression is required. To this end, we implement NV-based gradiometry and achieve efficient common-mode noise rejection, enabled by the intrinsically small sensing volume of NV sensors. Together, these multi-platform results obtained across diverse magnetic environments provide a solid foundation for translating quantum sensors into human medical diagnostics such as MCG and magnetoencephalography (MEG).
title Human Cardiac Measurements with Diamond Magnetometers
topic Medical Physics
Quantum Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.18843