Diamond photonics

Diamond, a material marvelled for its strength, beauty and perfection, was first used to polish stone axes in Neolithic times. This most ancient of materials is now being touted by many as the ideal platform for quantum-age technologies. In this Review, we describe how the properties of diamond match the requirements of the 'second quantum revolution'. We also discuss recent progress in the development of diamond - and particularly diamond colour centres - for transforming quantum information science into practical quantum information technology.