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A single ion embedded in a high-finesse optical cavity can now transfer its qubit state to a single photon, which is an important stepping stone towards the implementation of ion-based quantum networks.
AIP/ACOFT 2012 was last year's biggest and most diverse scientific meeting in the Australian physics calendar. Optics and photonics dominated; although traditional Australian strengths like quantum optics and X-ray science were well represented, there were some shifts to other fields.
The report of a quantum receiver that can distinguish quadrature-phase-shifted keyed signals with an error rate beyond the standard quantum limit bodes well for improving the performance of coherent optical communication systems.
A holographic microscope capable of dynamically imaging unstained living cells at resolutions beyond the diffraction limit could prove extremely useful for studying biological cells.
Using strain to induce a pseudomagnetic field in a photonic lattice at optical frequencies might bring improvements to fields such as photonic crystal fibres, supercontinuum generation and frequency combs.
By enlisting help from a robot to assemble precise structures, researchers have guided telecommunications-wavelength light around multiple hairpin turns in a three-dimensional photonic crystal.
