Single photons and quantum effects articles from across Nature Portfolio

Latest Research and Reviews

Reviews | 26 May 2023

Applications of single photons to quantum communication and computing

This Review overviews the application of single photons in quantum communication and quantum computation discussing specific needs and requirements and achieved milestones and outlining future improvements.
- Christophe Couteau
- , Stefanie Barz
- & Gregor Weihs
Nature Reviews Physics, 1-13
Reviews | 26 May 2023

Applications of single photons in quantum metrology, biology and the foundations of quantum physics

This Review overviews the application of single photons in quantum metrology, quantum biology and the foundations of quantum physics, discussing specific needs and requirements, achieved milestones and an outline for future improvements.
- Christophe Couteau
- , Stefanie Barz
- & Gregor Weihs
Nature Reviews Physics, 1-10
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 | 22 May 2023

Demonstration of the quantum principle of least action with single photons

Propagators of single photons based on directly measuring quantum wave functions are experimentally observed. Classical trajectories that satisfy the principle of least action are successfully extracted in the case of free space and harmonic potential.
- Yong-Li Wen
- , Yunfei Wang
- & Shi-Liang Zhu
Nature Photonics, 1-6
Research
21 May 2023 | Open Access

Testing the speed of “spooky action at a distance” in a tabletop experiment
- Luigi Santamaria Amato
- , Deborah Katia Pallotti
- & Sergei Slussarenko
Scientific Reports 13, 8201
Research
20 May 2023 | Open Access

Coherent control of an ultrabright single spin in hexagonal boron nitride at room temperature

Optically active defects in hBN are promising for quantum sensing and information applications, however, coherent control of a single defect has not been achieved so far. By using an efficient method to produce arrays of defects in hBN, Guo et al. isolate a new carbon-related defect and show its coherent control.
- Nai-Jie Guo
- , Song Li
- & Guang-Can Guo
Nature Communications 14, 2893

All Research & Reviews

News and Comment

News & Views | 06 April 2023

Ground-state cooling goes 2D

Levitated nanoparticles can now be cooled to the motional ground state in two dimensions. This advance could enable a new generation of macroscopic quantum experiments.
- Dalziel J. Wilson
Nature Physics, 1-2
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 March 2023

Tunable quantum recoil

X-ray photons emitted by free electrons travelling in van der Waals materials show energy shifts induced by quantum recoil, thus offering a viable route to generating tailored and tunable single X-ray photons.
- Nahid Talebi
Nature Photonics 17, 213-214
News & Views | 09 February 2023

Broadband squeezer of microwave light

‘Squeezing’ of light can be used to alter the distribution of quantum noise to benefit quantum sensing and other applications. An improved design for a microwave photon squeezer provides high performance over a large bandwidth.
- Baleegh Abdo
Nature Physics 19, 616-617
News & Views | 05 January 2023

Photons go one way or another

The emission of light from qubits in a superconducting circuit can be controlled in order to choose the direction of the photons’ propagation, which could be used to route information in quantum networks.
- Simone Gasparinetti
Nature Physics 19, 310-311
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