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Optical Circulator Could Route Quantum Data in Integrated Optical Circuits

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An advance in optical signal processing uses a fiber-integrated quantum optical circulator, operated by a single atom, to control the direction of light. The nonreciprocal behavior of the circulator arises from a chiral interaction between the atom and the transversally confined light. The circulator’s nonlinear response at the single-photon level enables photon number-dependent routing. Dubbed a “nano-roundabout,” the circulator could be used in integrated optical chips, and would be an advance for nanotechnology where the ability to process light pulses consisting of...Read full article

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    Published: December 2016
    Glossary
    nano
    An SI prefix meaning one billionth (10-9). Nano can also be used to indicate the study of atoms, molecules and other structures and particles on the nanometer scale. Nano-optics (also referred to as nanophotonics), for example, is the study of how light and light-matter interactions behave on the nanometer scale. See nanophotonics.
    nanotechnology
    The use of atoms, molecules and molecular-scale structures to enhance existing technology and develop new materials and devices. The goal of this technology is to manipulate atomic and molecular particles to create devices that are thousands of times smaller and faster than those of the current microtechnologies.
    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...
    Research & TechnologyEuropenanoOpticsoptical signal processingnanotechnologyquantumnanoroundaboutTech Pulse

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