How to decide who keeps the car
Researchers from Canada and Switzerland develop a quantum coin flipping method to ensure fair car ownership decisions. Despite being imperfect, the method prevents cheating by leveraging the properties of nature.
Photons
Articles tagged with Photons
Chalmers scientists create light from vacuum
Scientists at Chalmers University of Technology have succeeded in creating light from vacuum by capturing photons that appear and disappear in the vacuum. The experiment confirms a fundamental principle in quantum mechanics, demonstrating the existence of virtual particles that can become real photons.
New hybrid technology could bring 'quantum information systems'
Researchers propose using single photons and metamaterials for more powerful computers. The technology could harness the principles of quantum mechanics, allowing for more efficient data processing.
Single photons for optical information transfer
Using metamaterials to collect and transmit single photons, researchers aim to encode complex information on individual particles of light. This technology could significantly improve data security for the military and other high-stakes applications.
For diabetics, spectroscopy may replace painful pinpricks
Researchers have developed a compact Raman spectrograph that can monitor blood sugar levels without daily finger pricks. The new design is five to 20 times smaller than previous models, enabling the creation of portable devices that could also detect other disease markers and identify cancerous tissue.
Diamonds, silver and the quest for single photons
Researchers develop scalable diamond-based devices with silver coating, enabling efficient photon emission and control. The technology supports the creation of robust quantum computers and sensitive magnetometers, opening new avenues for applications in quantum information processing and nanoscale measurements.
A new scheme for photonic quantum computing
A new scheme, 'coherent photon conversion', offers a method for coherent conversion between different photon states using a strong laser field. This approach promises to solve open challenges in optical quantum computation and lead to the development of a nonlinear optical quantum computer.
Progress in quantum computing, qubit by qubit
Researchers at Harvard University have successfully controlled the rate of photon emission from luminescent imperfections in diamond, a crucial step towards developing scalable quantum networks. The breakthrough uses nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond to emit red photons at room temperature.
Crab pulsar beams most energetic gamma rays ever detected from a pulsar
Scientists have detected pulsed gamma-ray emission from the Crab pulsar at energies far beyond what current theoretical models can explain. The VERITAS telescope array detected gamma-rays with energies exceeding 100 billion electron-volts, putting new constraints on the mechanism for how the gamma-ray emission is generated.
Berkeley Lab scientists unveil an X-ray technique called HARPES
Researchers develop new X-ray technique HARPES to study electronic structures below material surfaces, enabling better performance in nanoscale devices. The technique uses hard x-rays to probe deeper into materials than current ARPES methods.
Better 'photon loops' may be key to computer and physics advances
Researchers at NIST and University of Maryland have developed a new photon loop technology that could lead to more efficient information processors and enable exploration of the quantum Hall effect. The technology uses multiple rows of resonators to build alternate pathways, allowing photons to bypass defects in microchips.
Quantum optical link sets new time records
Researchers at the Niels Bohr Institute have successfully maintained entanglement between two gas clouds of caesium atoms for up to an hour using controlled laser light. This breakthrough enables quantum communication and has potential applications in ultra-precise measurements, including studying human brain activity.
NIST prototype 'optics table on a chip' places microwave photon in 2 colors at once
Researchers at NIST have created a chip-scale, microwave version of an optics experiment that places a single microwave photon in two frequencies, or colors, at the same time. This experiment demonstrates quantum superposition and has potential applications for linear optical quantum computing.
NIST mechanical micro-drum cooled to quantum ground state
Researchers at NIST have developed a technique to calm the vibrations of a microscopic aluminum drum to the quantum ground state, allowing for longer storage of individual packets of energy. The drum's motion is slowed by applying microwave light, enabling applications in quantum computing and testing of quantum theory.
Key ingredient: Change in material boosts prospects of ultrafast single-photon detector
Researchers at NIST have developed a tungsten-silicon alloy that significantly improves the efficiency of ultrafast single-photon detectors, enabling their use in quantum communications and computing systems. The new detection method can capture photons across longer wavelengths, including those used in telecommunications.
Optical circuit enables new approach to quantum technologies
Researchers have successfully demonstrated a quantum logic gate acting on four particles of light, enabling new approaches to quantum technologies. The device has the potential to improve secure communication and precision measurement, paving the way for more efficient computers and innovative applications.
U of T scientist leads international team in quantum physics first
A team of researchers led by University of Toronto physicist Aephraim Steinberg successfully reconstructed the full trajectories of light particles moving through a two-slit interferometer, a historic experiment that has puzzled physicists for decades. This achievement provides new insights into quantum mechanics and its interpretations.
Graphene optical modulators could lead to ultrafast communications
Researchers at UC Berkeley have developed a graphene-based optical device that can switch light on and off, enabling faster data transmission. The technology has the potential to revolutionize high-speed communications and computing, allowing for faster data streaming and processing.
Quantum simulation with light: Frustrations between photon pairs
Researchers at the University of Vienna and Austrian Academy of Sciences have successfully simulated a frustrated quantum system using entangled photons. The experiment offers enormous potential for future quantum simulators to study complex quantum phenomena.
Single atom stores quantum information
Researchers at Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics successfully stored quantum information in a single atom, overcoming previous challenges in photon-atom interactions. The technique uses a rubidium atom to store the quantum state of photons, enabling potential applications in powerful quantum computers and networks.
Tiny 'on-chip detectors' count individual photons
Researchers have successfully integrated tiny detectors called single-photon avalanche diodes (SPAD) onto computer chips, allowing for the detection of individual photons. These detectors have extremely low noise levels, making them ideal for measuring fluorescence in biological imaging applications.
A small quantum leap
The new switching device enables high-speed routing of quantum bits along a shared network, maintaining entanglement information. This practical step toward creating a quantum Internet could achieve secure encrypted information and ultra-fast quantum computing.
New MIT developments in quantum computing
Researchers at MIT propose an experiment using a large number of photons and beam splitters to calculate complex distributions. The challenge lies in simulating the sampling process, which is currently computationally intractable.
Etched quantum dots shape up as single photon emitters, NIST tests show
Researchers at NIST have developed a precise method to shape and position quantum dots, enabling them to emit individual photons. This breakthrough has significant implications for powering new types of devices in quantum communications.
International team of scientists says it's high 'NOON' for microwave photons
Researchers at UC Santa Barbara and in China and Japan created NOON states by generating and storing microwave photons in two physically-separated cavities. The team demonstrated the ability to manipulate these states, showing that probing one cavity affects the other.
NIST advances single photon management for quantum computers
Researchers at NIST have developed a reliable source of single photons that can be manipulated into specific quantum states, addressing one of the key challenges to creating practical quantum computers. The team's design allows for the creation of multiple individual photons with distinct wavelengths from a single source.
Wave-generated 'white hole' boosts hawking radiation theory: UBC research
A UBC team designs an experiment featuring a flowing water trough to test Stephen Hawking's 35-year-old theory on black holes. The study creates a 'white hole' simulation, generating thermal radiation analogous to photon pairs in Hawking's theory.
Quantum quirk contained
Researchers at the University of Calgary have made a significant breakthrough in creating quantum networks by storing information in entangled photons. This achievement brings the field closer to reality and has the potential to enable building quantum networks in a few years.
Debunking solar energy efficiency measurements
A Tel Aviv University researcher has challenged recent 'charge' measurements for increasing solar panel efficiency, suggesting that current predictions are unfounded. However, his research also identifies potential new strategies for improving solar energy technology and storing solar energy.
Theoretical breakthrough: Generating matter and antimatter from the vacuum
University of Michigan researchers have made a theoretical breakthrough in generating matter and antimatter from the vacuum under specific conditions. The new equations show how high-energy electron beams combined with intense laser pulses can create pairs of particles and antiparticles, generating additional particles and antiparticles.
Bonn physicists create a 'super-photon'
Physicists from the University of Bonn have developed a new source of light, a Bose-Einstein condensate consisting of photons. By cooling and concentrating Rubidium atoms, they created a 'super-photon' with characteristics resembling lasers.
Nuclear materials detector shows exact location of radiation sources
A new gamma-ray detector, Polaris, can pinpoint and show the exact location of radiation sources, unlike conventional detectors. It provides a real-time image of the radiation source, allowing inspectors to navigate towards it with precision.
Largest parity violation and other adventures in table-top physics
Researchers at UC Berkeley have achieved the largest observed parity violation in atoms, exceeding previous tests by a factor of 100. Additionally, they measured a non-changing fine structure constant within one part in 1015 per year, setting a goal for further precision.
This little light of mine: Changing the color of single photons emitted by quantum dots
Researchers at NIST demonstrated the conversion of near-infrared single photons to a near-visible wavelength, aiding hybrid quantum systems. This enables devices to generate and store photons with conflicting requirements, enhancing quantum communication, computation, and metrology.
Physicists break color barrier for sending, receiving photons
Researchers at the University of Oregon have invented a method to change the color of single photons in a fiber optic cable, enabling faster data transfer and more secure communication. This breakthrough has the potential to revolutionize quantum computing and internet security.
Researchers convert quantum signals to telecom wavelengths, increase memory times
Scientists at Georgia Tech have developed a technique to convert photons carrying quantum data to telecom wavelengths suitable for long-distance transmission on optical fiber. This innovation boosts quantum memory times, enabling the creation of a possible prototype system for secure information distribution over long distances.
Optical chip enables new approach to quantum computing
Researchers at the University of Bristol have developed a silicon chip that uses two identical photons to perform complex calculations and simulations, paving the way for a new type of quantum computer. The device has the potential to solve problems that are currently beyond the capabilities of conventional computers.
NIST researchers create 'quantum cats' made of light
Researchers at NIST have created an optical Schrödinger's cat by detecting three photons simultaneously, a state predicted in quantum optics for years. This achievement enhances prospects for manipulating light to improve measurement techniques and contribute to quantum computing and communications.
Quantum networks advance with entanglement of photons, solid-state qubits
Researchers achieved quantum entanglement between photons and solid-state materials, enabling communication over long distances. This breakthrough is crucial for developing quantum networks for secure communication and distributed computing.
One more step on the path to quantum computers
Researchers at TUM achieve ten times stronger interaction than previous levels, opening new experimental options for quantum computing. The ultrastrong coupling creates a new unit of atom-photon pairs, challenging existing theories.
Correcting a trick of the light brings molecules into view
Researchers have developed a technique that corrects a trick of the light, enabling the use of optical microscopy to image objects or distances with resolutions as small as 0.5 nanometers, revolutionizing biology. This breakthrough allows for accurate measurements of protein structures and molecular organization in biological samples.
Novel ion trap with optical fiber could link atoms and light in quantum networks
Physicists at NIST have demonstrated an ion trap with a built-in optical fiber, enabling the measurement of quantum information stored in ions. The device simplifies quantum computer design and paves the way for swapping information between matter and light in future quantum networks.
Unpeeling atoms and molecules from the inside out
Researchers at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have successfully controlled individual electrons within simple atoms and molecules by stripping them away using intense pulses of X-ray light. This breakthrough enables the creation of hollow atoms with potential applications in future imaging experiments.
How not to blow up a molecule
Researchers found that shorter pulse lengths produce fewer higher charge states in nitrogen molecules, reducing damage. This phenomenon, known as frustrated absorption, prevents outer valence electrons from being stripped, safeguarding molecule integrity.
Testing the best-yet theory of nature
Researchers tested the spin-statistics theorem, which dictates whether particles are fermions or bosons. They found no evidence of forbidden transitions, strengthening the theory and ruling out photons behaving like fermions.
Do bosons ever masquerade as fermions?
Physicists at UC Berkeley confirm that photons do not act like fermions, validating Bose-Einstein statistics and Quantum Field Theory. The experiment tested the fundamental assumptions underlying these theories, including Lorentz invariance and microcausality.
Applied nuclear physics for biomedicine, nuclear security and basic science
Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory are developing gamma-ray detectors to improve cancer therapy using heavy-ion beams. The Compact Compton Imager 2 (CCI-2) is a compact imager that can provide real-time images of the ion beam's energy distribution in tumors.
Purple is the new green
Researchers from the University of Miami have discovered that purple bacteria adapt their cell designs to different light intensities, maximizing energy conversion. Their study develops a mathematical model to describe this phenomenon and predicts optimal conditions for solar panels.
Upgrade to advanced photon source announced by DOE
The DOE has approved a conceptual design for the APS upgrade, which will make existing X-ray facilities 10-100 times more powerful. The upgrade is expected to create new high-tech jobs and enable breakthroughs in understanding diseases and developing sustainable energy technologies.
Cardiff takes a step towards quantum computing
Researchers at Cardiff University have successfully conducted experiments with photons, showing that pairs increase oscillation frequency and agreeing with theoretical predictions. The findings have long-term implications for information technology, including the potential to build logical systems based on quantum interactions.
NIST detector counts photons with 99 percent efficiency
The NIST team has developed a single photon detector that can count individual photons with 99 percent efficiency. This breakthrough technology improves the accuracy of electronic communication and quantum computing, while also enabling the detection of missing photons in long-distance data transmission to prevent information theft.
Fermi maps an active galaxy's 'smokestack plumes'
Astronomers used the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope to map gamma rays emitted by Centaurus A, a galaxy with a supersized black hole. The discovery confirms that microwave photons can be accelerated to gamma-ray energies through inverse Compton scattering.
From a classical laser to a 'quantum laser'
Researchers at the University of Innsbruck successfully created a single-atom laser, demonstrating both classical and quantum mechanical properties. The experiment showed that by tuning the coupling between the atom and cavity mode, stimulated emission could be achieved despite the atom's weak amplification ability.
Mysterious cosmic 'dark flow' tracked deeper into universe
A new study led by Alexander Kashlinsky at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center reveals that a collective motion dubbed the 'dark flow' persists to much greater distances -- as far as 2.5 billion light-years away.
Photons led astray
Researchers at Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light have demonstrated that quantum particles can take both possible paths simultaneously in a random walk, leading to interference patterns and increased intensity at the edges. This breakthrough could provide new insights into statistical processes like photosynthesis.
For nanowires, nothing sparkles quite like diamond
Researchers created a novel diamond nanowire device that can generate single photons, controlled at the atomic scale. The device leverages imperfections in the diamond crystal to act as a source of individual photons, with applications in advanced imaging and quantum communications.
Physicists play Lego with photons
Researchers at the University of Calgary have successfully stacked up to two photons on top of one another using quantum entanglement, enabling the creation of various quantum states of light. This achievement brings physicists closer to developing new capabilities in measurement instruments, computers, and secure communication systems.
Digging deep into diamonds, applied physicists advance quantum science and technology
Researchers at Harvard University have created a diamond-based nanowire device that improves the performance of single photon sources, enabling fast and secure computing with light. This breakthrough could lead to new applications in quantum cryptography, quantum computing, and magnetic field imaging.
Stacking the deck: Single photons observed at seemingly faster-than-light speeds
Using a stacked arrangement, researchers observed single photons traveling through dielectric materials with significantly reduced transit times. This phenomenon can be explained by the wave properties of light and its behavior when interacting with specific material layers.
A solid case of entanglement
Researchers have successfully demonstrated quantum entanglement in solid-state devices, a breakthrough that could enable faster and more secure computing. The experiment uses electrons in a superconductor to create entangled pairs, which can be used to enhance computing performance and secure data transmission.