Single spins in diamond: from quantum computers to atomic sensors

Diamond is not only the king gemstone, but also a promising material in modern technology (which holds a promise to replace silicon) owing tounprecedented thermal conductivity, high charge carrier mobility and chemical inertness. Less known is that defects in diamond can be used for quantum information processing. Owing to their remarkable stability, colour centers in diamond have already found an application in quantum cryptography. Furthermore, it was shown that spin states associated with single nitrogen-vacancy defects can be detected optically. In this talk I will discuss recent progress regarding spin-based quantum information processing and atomic magnetometry using single spins in diamond.