Quantum optics articles from across Nature Portfolio

Quantum optics is the study of how individual quanta of light, known as photons, interact with atoms and molecules. This includes studying the particle-like properties of photons. Photons have been used to test many of the counter-intuitive predictions of quantum mechanics, such as entanglement and teleportation, and are a useful resource for quantum information processing.

Latest Research and Reviews

Research
29 May 2023 | Open Access

Breaking universal limitations on quantum conference key agreement without quantum memory

Realizing quantum conference key agreement is challenging in experiment and unpractical in application because of limited transmission distance caused by channel loss. The authors present here a quantum conference key agreement protocol with spatial multiplexing nature and adaptive operation, which can break limitations on quantum communication over network and thus shed some light on future global quantum network.
- Chen-Long Li
- , Yao Fu
- & Zeng-Bing Chen
Communications Physics 6, 122
Research
26 May 2023 | Open Access

Multiphoton quantum van Cittert-Zernike theorem
- Chenglong You
- , Ashe Miller
- & Omar S. Magaña-Loaiza
npj Quantum Information 9, 50
Research
26 May 2023 | Open Access

Theoretical investigation of dynamics and concurrence of entangled \({{\mathcal {P}}}{{\mathcal {T}}}\) and anti-\({{\mathcal {P}}}{{\mathcal {T}}}\) symmetric polarized photons
- Javed Akram
- & Chao Zheng
Scientific Reports 13, 8542
Research | 25 May 2023

Interface between picosecond and nanosecond quantum light pulses

To bridge the ultrafast and slow classes of quantum-information-processing systems, a Fresnel time lens is developed by using a wideband electro-optic phase modulator combined with a dispersion element. The single-photon spectral bandwidth is compressed from picosecond to nanosecond timescales.
- Filip Sośnicki
- , Michał Mikołajczyk
- & Michał Karpiński
Nature Photonics, 1-6
Research
25 May 2023 | Open Access

Coincidence measurements of two quantum-correlated photon pairs widely separated in the frequency domain
- Masayuki Hojo
- , Shuntaro Tani
- & Koichiro Tanaka
Scientific Reports 13, 8520
Research
24 May 2023 | Open Access

Density-wave ordering in a unitary Fermi gas with photon-mediated interactions

An experiment with atoms and photons provides a fully tunable and microscopically controllable platform for the experimental study of the interplay of superfluidity and density-wave order.
- Victor Helson
- , Timo Zwettler
- & Jean-Philippe Brantut
Nature, 1-5

All Research & Reviews

News and Comment

News & Views | 21 March 2023

Observing the dynamics of photon bound states using a single quantum dot

Photon bound states are quantum states of light that emerge in systems with ultrahigh optical non-linearities. A single artificial atom was used to study the dynamics of these states, revealing that the number of photons within the pulse determines the time delay after the pulse scatters off the atom.

Nature Physics, 1-2
News & Views | 06 February 2023

Converting qubits

A scheme for converting qubits between two different representations, discrete and continuous variables, paves the way for more-efficient quantum networks.
- Hyunseok Jeong
Nature Photonics 17, 131-132
News & Views | 02 February 2023

Quantum correlated atoms in intense laser fields

Strongly laser-driven quantum correlated many-body systems lead to the generation of light with exotic quantum features — the quantumness of a many-body system is imprinted on the state of the emitted light.
- Paraskevas Tzallas
Nature Physics 19, 472-473
Comments & Opinion
01 January 2023 | Open Access

Light People: Professor Guangcan Guo

Prof. Guangcan Guo took it upon himself to delve into quantum optics and quantum informatics, which helped to accelerate the development of quantum science in China.
- Hui Wang
Light: Science & Applications 12, 10
News & Views | 22 December 2022

Tuning optical cavities by Möbius topology

The resonance wavelengths of optical Möbius strip microcavities can be continuously tuned via geometric phase manipulation by changing the thickness-to-width ratio of the strip.
- Bruno Piccirillo
- & Verónica Vicuña-Hernández
Nature Photonics 17, 13-14
News & Views | 19 December 2022

Superconducting detectors count more photons

Using two different designs of superconductor-based detectors, two independent research groups report photon number detection for light pulses with up to 100 photons.
- Tim J. Bartley
Nature Photonics 17, 8-9