Researchers have announced a new method for generating high-energy “quantum light“, which can be used to study new properties of matter at the atomic scale.
The researchers, from the University of Cambridge, together with colleagues from the United States, Israel and Austria, have developed a concept that describes a new state of light, with quantum control that is controlled at different times, up to a certain frequency X-ray. . Their results are published in the journal Nature Physics.
The world we see around us can be explained according to the laws of classical physics, but once we look at things at the atomic level, the wonderful world of quantum physics takes over. Think of basketball: viewed with the naked eye, the ball behaves according to the laws of classical physics. But the atoms that make up a basketball behave like quantum physics.
“Light is no different: from sunlight to radio waves, it can be largely explained using classical physics,” said author Dr. Andrea Pizzi, who led the research, said it was based at the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge. “But at the micro and nanoscale, so-called quantum fluctuations begin to work and classical science cannot account for that.”
Pizzi, who is currently at Harvard University, is working with Ido Kaminer’s team at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and colleagues at MIT and the University of Vienna to develop a theory that predicts new ways to control the type of light source.
“Quantum switching makes quantum light more difficult to study, but also more interesting: if it’s done right, quantum switching can be a help,” said Pizzi. “Controlling quantum light conditions could enable new techniques in microscopy and quantum computing.”
One of the main methods for creating light is using powerful lasers. When a powerful enough laser is applied to a collection of emitters, it can tear some electrons from the emitters and energize them. Finally, some of these electrons combine with the material they are extracted from, and the amount of energy they absorb is released as light. This process converts high frequency input light into high frequency output radiation.
“The idea is that all of these things are independent of each other, making the light of the evolution of the numbers coincide,” Pizzi said. “We want to study systems where the emitters are not independent, but connected: the state of one element tells you something about the state of the other. In this case, the output light begins to behave differently and change quantities it becomes more organized and can be more useful.
To solve this type of problem, which is known as the problem of the majority, the researchers used a combination of theoretical analysis and computer simulations, where it is possible to explain the light of the group of producers who are connected to it. using quantum physics.
The theory, developed by Pizzi and led by Alexey Gorlach of the Technion, shows that controlled quantum light can be created by emitters connected to a powerful laser. This process results in high-energy emitting light and can be used to design quantum x-ray optical structures.
“We have been working for several months to refine the equation until we can explain the relationship between the light produced and the input with a single compact structure. As a scientist, found I like this,” said Pizzi. “Going forward, we would like to work with researchers to provide confirmation of our predictions. On the theoretical side of things, our work suggests many of the systems as things help to create quantum light, a concept we want to study in a broader way, beyond the structure discussed in this work.
