Quantum Information Gets a Boost from Thin-Film Breakthrough at LANL

(Nanotech-now) Efforts to create reliable light-based quantum computing, quantum key distribution for cybersecurity, and other technologies got a boost from a new study at Los Alamos National Labs demonstrating an innovative method for creating thin films to control the emission of single photons.
“Efficiently controlling certain thin-film materials so they emit single photons at precise locations–what’s known as deterministic quantum emission–paves the way for beyond-lab-scale quantum materials,” said Michael Pettes, a Los Alamos National Laboratory materials scientist and leader of the multi-institution research team.
The scalability of these two-dimensional, tungsten/selenium thin films makes them potentially useful in processes to manufacture quantum technologies. Single-photon generation is a requirement for all-optical quantum computing and key distribution in quantum communications, and it is crucial for advancing quantum information technologies.