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Micron-Scale Entangled Photon Source Could Open Mobile Applications

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JENA, Germany, Sept. 4, 2024 — An international team of researchers led by the Friedrich Schiller University Jena has proposed a method to generate entangled photon pairs using 2D materials. The advance could open the door to quantum encryption on mobile devices.

The work presented a greatly miniaturized source for entangled photon pairs in a stacked transition metal dichalcogenide crystal, measuring 10 × 10 × 10 µm, allowing it to be easily integrated into compact devices. The crystal symmetry enables the generation of polarization-entangled Bell states without additional components. The device presents significant advantages over conventional sources for entangled photons, which can be bulky and complex to handle.

The source also provides tunability by simple control of the pump polarization. Generation rate and state tuning are decoupled, leading to equal generation efficiency and no loss of entanglement.
According to research led by the Friedrich Schiller University Jena, the combination of transition metal dichalcogenides with monolithic cavities and integrated photonic circuitry or using quasi-phasematching could provide an avenue toward ultrasmall and scalable quantum devices. Courtesy of Fraunhofer IOF/Christian Süß.
According to research led by the Friedrich Schiller University Jena, the combination of transition metal dichalcogenides with monolithic cavities and integrated photonic circuitry or using quasi-phase matching could provide an avenue toward ultrasmall and scalable quantum devices. Courtesy of Fraunhofer IOF/Christian Süß.


That flexibility opens a wide range of potential applications, particularly in the field of quantum communication and quantum encryption. Mobile devices could benefit from the technology in the future by providing secure communication channels based on the principles of quantum mechanics.

Creation of entangled photon pairs on such a small scale and with tunable properties could have far-reaching implications for the development of quantum computers and quantum communication systems. For mobile communication and portable devices in particular, this opens up a new field that has so far remained untapped because of the size and complexity of the technology required.

The results of this research mark a significant step towards practical applications of quantum optics and could form the basis for future developments in secure data transmission.

Future work on the project will focus on increasing the generation rate by quasi-phase matching and integration of the source into monolithic cavities with high quality in order to improve the pair generation rate. The integration of these sources into photonic chips will also be explored to develop quantum key distribution devices in miniature. In addition, the team plans to investigate the use of novel materials and metasurfaces to create even brighter and more versatile sources.

The work occurred under the auspices of the international research training group 2675 “Meta-Active” and was led by Maximilian Weißflog at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena with participation from the Australian National University in Canberra and contributions from the Technical University of Darmstadt.

The research was published in Nature (www.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-51843-3).

Published: September 2024
Glossary
light source
The generic term applied to all sources of visible radiation from burning matter to ionized vapors and lasers, regardless of the degree of excitation.
source
A physical source of radiation, as contrasted to illuminant. See illuminant.
quantum
The term quantum refers to the fundamental unit or discrete amount of a physical quantity involved in interactions at the atomic and subatomic scales. It originates from quantum theory, a branch of physics that emerged in the early 20th century to explain phenomena observed on very small scales, where classical physics fails to provide accurate explanations. In the context of quantum theory, several key concepts are associated with the term quantum: Quantum mechanics: This is the branch of...
crystal
A solid with a structure that exhibits a basically symmetrical and geometrical arrangement. A crystal may already possess this structure, or it may acquire it through mechanical means. More than 50 chemical substances are important to the optical industry in crystal form. Large single crystals often are used because of their transparency in different spectral regions. However, as some single crystals are very brittle and liable to split under strain, attempts have been made to grind them...
chalcogenide
Chalcogenide refers to a class of compounds containing elements from group 16 of the periodic table, which includes sulfur (S), selenium (Se), and tellurium (Te). These elements are known as chalcogens. Chalcogenides are typically formed by combining one or more chalcogens with other elements, such as metals or metalloids. Chalcogenides are of particular interest in materials science and technology due to their unique properties, which include: Semiconductor behavior: Many chalcogenides...
dichalcogenide
Dichalcogenides are a class of compounds composed of two atoms of a chalcogen element bonded to a single atom of a metal or metalloid element. Chalcogens are the elements in group 16 of the periodic table, which include oxygen, sulfur, selenium, tellurium, and polonium. Therefore, dichalcogenides commonly consist of two atoms from this group, such as sulfur-sulfur (S-S), selenium-selenium (Se-Se), or tellurium-tellurium (Te-Te) bonds, bonded to a metal or metalloid atom. Dichalcogenides...
Research & TechnologyLaserslight sourcephoton pairsentangledsourcePhoton SourceentanglementquantumcrystalMaterialschalcogenidedichalcogenideNatureFriedrich Schiller University JenaAustralian National UniversityTechnical University of DarmstadtEuropeAustralia

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