Quantum tech breakthrough: China’s double-photon device breaks efficiency ceiling
Chinese innovation can pave the way for sharper medical imaging, unbreakable encryption and next-gen sensors
The challenge with traditional quantum dots – tiny structures often called “artificial atoms” – is that getting them to emit just two photons at a time is like trying to balance two marbles on a needle. Now, a team of researchers from Beijing has found a way that delivers exceptionally strong two-photon efficiency.
Under pulsed excitation conditions – the process of applying a brief, intense force or impulse to a structure – their new emitter can achieve 98.3 per cent of emitted photons appearing in paired form, with a generation efficiency of 29.9 per cent. Such results represent the “international best-in-class” of its kind, according to its lead researcher.