The experiments aren't just about creating the "world's smallest disco" but could help the study of quantum physics.

The tiny diamonds, with an average width of 750 nanometers, are first produced under high pressure and temperature. Then, they're irradiated with high-energy electrons to create what's known as a nitrogen-vacancy defect, which can be used to hold quantum information.

To get the nanodiamonds levitating, the team created a surface ion trap by depositing a thin layer of gold onto a sapphire wafer, then etching the gold into an "omega" shape (Ω). When a current is pumped through the gold, it creates an electromagnetic field that can levitate a nanodiamond placed above the surface, in a vacuum chamber.

"We can adjust the driving voltage to change the spinning direction," said Kunhong Shen, an author of the study. "The levitated diamond can rotate around the z-axis (which is perpendicular to the surface of the ion trap), shown in the schematic, either clockwise or counterclockwise, depending on our driving signal. If we don't apply the driving signal, the diamond will spin omnidirectionally, like a ball of yarn."

In doing so, the team managed to get the nanodiamonds spinning at speeds of up to 1.2 billion rpm. While that's pretty impressive, it's far from the fastest spinning object – the same team currently holds that record with a nanoscale "dumbbell" that rotated at a blistering 300 billion rpm.

But the nanodiamond study has a more practical purpose than just aiming for a world record. When the spinning diamonds are lit up with a green laser they emit red light of their own, which allows scientists to read out the spin states of the electrons inside their defects. At the same time, an infrared laser was shone on the diamonds and the pattern of how they scattered that light tells the team how they're rotating. Comparing the two measurements allows scientists to infer how the diamonds' spin affects the quantum information contained in their defects.