Powered by the mutual developments in instrumentation, materials andtheoretical descriptions, sensing and imaging capabilities of quantum emitters insolids have significantly increased in the past two decades. Quantum emitters insolids, whose properties resemble those of atoms and ions, provide alternative waysto probing natural and artificial nanoscopic systems with minimum disturbance andultimate spatial resolution. Among those emerging quantum emitters, the nitrogen-vacancy (NV) color center in diamond is an outstanding example due to its intrinsicproperties at room temperature (highly-luminescent, photo-stable, biocompatible,highly-coherent spin states). This review article summarizes recent advances andachievements in using NV centers within nano- and single crystal diamonds in sensingand imaging. We also highlight prevalent challenges and material aspects for differenttypes of diamond and outline the main parameters to consider when using color centersas sensors. As a novel sensing resource, we highlight the properties of NV centersas light emitting electrical dipoles and their coupling to other nanoscale dipoles e.g.graphene.
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