Add BrightSurf on Google Email

National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT)


Months-long real-time generation of a time scale based on an optical clock

Researchers at NICT Space-Time Standards Laboratory demonstrate a novel time scale generation method combining an optical lattice clock with a hydrogen maser. The resultant signal continued for half a year without interruption, outperforming Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) and TT(BIPM) in terms of accuracy.

World's first demonstration of space quantum communication using a microsatellite

Scientists successfully demonstrated quantum communication between a satellite and a ground station, enabling the development of future satellite constellations. The technology uses lasers for high power efficiency and smaller terminals, facilitating the adoption of quantum key distribution for secure information transmission.

Flexible optical design method for superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors

Researchers at NICT have developed a flexible optical design method for superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors, enabling high detection efficiency over a precise spectral range while rejecting other wavelengths. This technique has potential applications in quantum cryptography, fluorescence spectroscopy, and remote sensing.

Stable molecular state of photons and artificial atom discovered

Scientists have discovered a qualitatively new state of a superconducting artificial atom dressed with virtual photons, resolving a forty-year-old problem in atomic physics. The discovery provides a platform to investigate light-matter interaction at a fundamental level and may contribute to the development of quantum technologies.