This paper shows how a quantum emitter, the nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in diamond, interacts in unexpected ways with a specially engineered photonic structure when moved around with a scanning tip. What has long been considered a drawback of the NV center—its broad and messy emission spectrum—turns out to enable a new type of coupling that reshapes its light in ways not seen before. This discovery has fundamental importance for quantum information technologies, since such coupling could help overcome long-standing challenges like spectral diffusion and open pathways toward robust spin–photon and spin–spin entanglement on a chip. At the same time, the work demonstrates a novel sensing capability: by analyzing the NV emission, we could reconstruct detailed, polarization-resolved images of the photonic modes with remarkable contrast. Beyond photonic structures, this polarization sensitivity could eventually be applied to detecting chiral molecules, which are central to biology and medicine. The paper is available online. See more here.