Editorial Feature

Scientists Learn to Manipulate Quantum Light

In a significant breakthrough for quantum technology, researchers from the University of Basel and the University of Sydney have successfully demonstrated the ability to identify and manipulate a small number of interacting photons in a controlled manner.

Quantum Light, manipulating quantum light

Image Credit: sKjust/Shutterstock.com

By drawing from Albert Einstein's theory of stimulated emission, the team manipulated quantum light by identifying and affecting single photons, potentially paving the way for quantum computing and medical imaging applications. The results were published in Nature Physics.

Manipulating and Identifying Interacting Photons

The light-matter has been a subject of interest for scientific research and technological development. This interaction led to the discovery of wave-particle duality, which forms the basis for various technologies, including fiber-optic cables, eyeglasses, and modern communication devices.

Photons do not interact with each other, making them ideal information carriers through optical fibers. However, for some applications in information processing, photons have to interact. This requires a nonlinear medium. When the nonlinearity is strong enough, photons can form bound states, strongly correlated and more likely to arrive together than at random times.

These bound states are not the same as bunched photon states, and researchers have predicted that the properties of photon-bound states may result in the creation of highly entangled, strongly correlated light. Photon-bound states have been predicted to exist in several systems, and experiments have observed them in strongly correlated Rydberg gases.

Advancing Stimulated Light Emission through Single Photon Manipulation

Challenges arise when manipulating the interaction between photons for certain applications, such as measuring small distance changes with interferometers. Quantum mechanics limits such devices' sensitivity, which is inversely related to the average number of photons present, meaning that higher photon counts result in reduced sensitivity.

The light-matter interaction also led to the invention of the laser, which serves as the foundation for modern technology such as GPS, global communications networks, and medical imaging. However, the requirement of a significant number of photons in stimulated light emission restricts the sensitivity of these devices.

Therefore, researchers continuously explore methods to manipulate light to interact with matter at the single photon level to overcome these limitations.

A Major Step Forward: Physicists Achieve Quantum Light Manipulation

An international team of physicists has made a groundbreaking achievement by manipulating and controlling the interaction of light particles (photons), which do not normally interact with each other. The research demonstrates stimulated light emission for single photons, a phenomenon first proposed by Albert Einstein in 1916.

"This experiment is beautiful, not only because it validates a fundamental effect—stimulated emission—at its ultimate limit, but it also represents a huge technological step towards advanced applications." Dr. Natasha Tomm, Joint Lead Author.

The researchers created a cavity in a semiconductor that contains an artificial atom (quantum dot), and when two independent photons enter the system, they emerge in a highly correlated entangled state.

The team demonstrated that a single photon traveled slower through the system than two or three-photon bound states by measuring the output power and correlation functions of a weak coherent pulse scattered off the cavity. This is due to stimulated emission, where the arrival of two photons within the lifetime of an emitter stimulates the emission of another photon.

They observed that stimulated emission involving a single quantum emitter interacting with single photons. Previously, achieving this level of control with light was challenging.

However, in this study, the team induced strong interactions between photons, enabling them to observe the difference in the time delay between a single photon and a pair of bound photons scattering off a quantum dot.

Significance of the Study

By manipulating light in a highly correlated and entangled state, more sensitive measurements can be achieved with higher resolution using fewer photons. This makes it advantageous for light-sensitive samples, such as those often found in biological microscopy, where high-intensity light can damage the samples.

This groundbreaking discovery represents a significant technological step towards developing more efficient devices that give us photon-bound states, with potential applications in various fields such as biology, quantum information processing, and advanced manufacturing.

"By demonstrating that we can identify and manipulate photon-bound states, we have taken a vital first step towards harnessing quantum light for practical use. The next steps in my research are to see how this approach can be used to generate states of light that are useful for fault-tolerant quantum computing, which is being pursued by multimillion-dollar companies, such as PsiQuantum and Xanadu." Dr. Sahand Mahmoodian, Joint Lead Author.

More from AZoQuantum - Quantum Tensor Networks: Foundations, Algorithms, and Applications

References and Further Reading

Marcus Strom. (2023). Scientists Open Door to Manipulating 'Quantum Light.' [Online]. The University of Sydney. Available at: https://www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2023/03/21/scientists-open-door-to-manipulating-quantum-light-usyd-physics.html (Accessed on 12 April 14, 2023)

Tomm, N., Mahmoodian, S., Antoniadis, N. O., Schott, R., Valentin, S. R., Wieck, A. D., ... & Warburton, R. J. (2023). Photon Bound State Dynamics from a Single Artificial Atom. Nature Physics, 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-023-01997-6

Xia, K. (Ed.). (2020). Single Photon Manipulation. IntechOpen. doi: 10.5772/intechopen.83207

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are those of the author expressed in their private capacity and do not necessarily represent the views of AZoM.com Limited T/A AZoNetwork the owner and operator of this website. This disclaimer forms part of the Terms and conditions of use of this website.

Owais Ali

Written by

Owais Ali

NEBOSH certified Mechanical Engineer with 3 years of experience as a technical writer and editor. Owais is interested in occupational health and safety, computer hardware, industrial and mobile robotics. During his academic career, Owais worked on several research projects regarding mobile robots, notably the Autonomous Fire Fighting Mobile Robot. The designed mobile robot could navigate, detect and extinguish fire autonomously. Arduino Uno was used as the microcontroller to control the flame sensors' input and output of the flame extinguisher. Apart from his professional life, Owais is an avid book reader and a huge computer technology enthusiast and likes to keep himself updated regarding developments in the computer industry.

Citations

Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

  • APA

    Ali, Owais. (2023, April 17). Scientists Learn to Manipulate Quantum Light. AZoQuantum. Retrieved on December 11, 2024 from https://www.azoquantum.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=423.

  • MLA

    Ali, Owais. "Scientists Learn to Manipulate Quantum Light". AZoQuantum. 11 December 2024. <https://www.azoquantum.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=423>.

  • Chicago

    Ali, Owais. "Scientists Learn to Manipulate Quantum Light". AZoQuantum. https://www.azoquantum.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=423. (accessed December 11, 2024).

  • Harvard

    Ali, Owais. 2023. Scientists Learn to Manipulate Quantum Light. AZoQuantum, viewed 11 December 2024, https://www.azoquantum.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=423.

Tell Us What You Think

Do you have a review, update or anything you would like to add to this article?

Leave your feedback
Your comment type
Submit

While we only use edited and approved content for Azthena answers, it may on occasions provide incorrect responses. Please confirm any data provided with the related suppliers or authors. We do not provide medical advice, if you search for medical information you must always consult a medical professional before acting on any information provided.

Your questions, but not your email details will be shared with OpenAI and retained for 30 days in accordance with their privacy principles.

Please do not ask questions that use sensitive or confidential information.

Read the full Terms & Conditions.