Single-photon source

A magical lantern

It might seem like a small achievement, but emitting one photon at a time is a big deal in the quantum world!

Why? In quantum communication and computing, every photon carries essential information that needs to be precisely controlled and captured. If conventional light sources, which emit several photons in all possible directions at once, were used, the message they carry would become jumbled, corrupted, or lost. That’s why extremely precise and specialized light sources are crucial for accurate quantum information transmission.

Imagine a magical lantern packed with fireflies, each released one at a time with the push of a button. This is analogous to a single-photon source, which allows one – and only one – photon to be emitted at a time.

This seemingly small trick is a fundamental breakthrough, unlocking the extraordinary potential of quantum technologies, where the tiniest light particles can achieve monumental feats.