Tiny tubes of carbon that emit single photons from just one point along their length have been made in a deterministic manner by RIKEN researchers. Such carbon nanotubes could form the basis of future quantum technologies based on light.
Light is currently used to freight data over long distances via optical fibers. But harnessing its quantum nature could offer several benefits, including unprecedented security since any inception by a third party can be detected.
Such quantum communication technology requires light sources that emit one photon at a time. Several systems are capable of realizing that, but of them carbon nanotubes are the most promising.
"Carbon nanotubes are the only quantum emitters that can emit single photons at room temperature and also at wavelengths used for telecommunications," explains Yuichiro Kato of the RIKEN Center for Advanced Photonics. "That makes them very attractive for real-world applications."
However, one problem with nanotubes is that it has been difficult to control the number of points along their length that emit single photons. It has also been challenging to determine the position of light-emitting points along a nanotube.
Now, Kato and co-workers have overcome both issues and produced nanotubes that emit single photons from one point whose position can be controlled. The research is published in the journal Nano Letters.
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