Researchers from NIST, UC San Diego, and Politecnico di Milano have developed the first heralded single photon source made from silicon. This breakthrough is significant because it complements other recently developed silicon-based technologies needed to build practical quantum optical circuits or secure quantum communication systems.
A heralded photon is one of a pair whose existence is announced by the detection of its partner, the herald photon. The new device efficiently produces pairs of single photons and demonstrates that the presence of one photon can be heralded by the detection of the other. While the device is not yet practical, it represents an important step forward in making quantum technologies more compatible with existing technology.
The work was among the three finalists in the Maiman Student Paper Competition and received an honorable mention. Many recent advances have been made by research groups around the world, including Northwestern, Cornell, NTT Laboratories in Japan, the University Libre de Bruxelles in Belgium, the University of Bristol in the UK, and the University of Sydney in Australia.
Keywords: silicon, photons, quantum
