Researchers Devise a Current Path Toward ‘Quantum Light’
A team of scientists from the University of Cambridge, along with researchers from the United States, Israel, and Austria, have developed a theory that could generate high-energy “quantum light” to study new properties of matter at the atomic level.
They have reported their findings in the journal Nature Physics. While classic physics can explain the world we see around us, the laws of quantum physics take over when we observe things at the atomic scale. The team’s theory describes a new state of light that has controlled quantum properties up to X-ray frequencies, which could be used to study quantum fluctuations at the micro and nanoscale.
Lead author Dr. Andrea Pizzi, currently based at Harvard University, collaborated with researchers from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, MIT, and the University of Vienna.
Quantum fluctuations and quantum light
According to Pizzi, the presence of quantum fluctuations makes quantum light challenging to observe, but it also makes it more fascinating. By controlling the state of quantum light, new possibilities in microscopy and quantum computation could be created.
Current methods for generating light involve using solid lasers, which energize electrons and release excess energy as light. It has been assumed that the emitters are independent, resulting in featureless quantum fluctuations. However, Pizzi’s team aimed to investigate a system where the emitters are correlated, meaning that the state of one particle is linked to the state of another. In this scenario, the output light behaves differently, and the quantum fluctuations become more structured and potentially useful.
How to solve this problem?
To solve the several-body problem and develop manageable quantum light using correlated emitters and a strong laser, the scientists utilized theoretical analysis and computer simulations based on quantum physics.
The concept, developed by Pizzi and Gorlach, produces high-energy output light that can be used to engineer the quantum-optical framework of X-rays. After refining equations, the researchers found a single compact equation that describes the link between the output light and input correlations.
Moving forward, they aim to work with experimentalists to validate their predictions and explore many-body systems as a resource for generating quantum light beyond the current setup.
Read the original article on PHYS.
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