Quantum Sensing of Viruses: Building on Semiconductor Biosensing Foundations

Quantum sensing provides new opportunities for virus detection by translating nanoscale biological interactions into measurable quantum observables. This work presents a framework for quantum sensing of viruses built upon semiconductor biosensing foundations, where viruses are treated as electrically polarizable particles characterized through their intrinsic electrical and dielectric properties. Extending this concept to nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond, an electrically assisted sensing mechanism is proposed in which an applied electrical excitation polarizes the virus, producing localized electromagnetic perturbations that can interact with a nearby NV center. The resulting quantum response may be observed through differential Stark-modulated ODMR frequency shifts, electric-field-induced spin-phase responses, and complementary ODMR-contrast changes. Importantly, the applied electrical excitation may also directly perturb the NV center, requiring separation of the bias-induced sensor response from the additional virus-associated contribution. A bias-assisted differential measurement is therefore introduced, leading to a multidimensional virus-associated quantum signature. This signature provides a unified framework for virus detection and, following experimental calibration and validation, may potentially enable virus-type discrimination and quantification. By connecting established semiconductor-based electrical virus characterization with NV-center quantum observables, this work provides a theoretical and experimental pathway toward label-free quantum virus sensing while identifying the key challenges associated with nanoscale coupling, electrical bias, environmental noise, and experimental implementation.