Tapping particles of light: Scientists single out individual photons
Monday, November 30, 2015 - 10:20
in Physics & Chemistry
At the Weizmann Institute of Science, researchers have managed to 'pluck' a single photon—one particle of light—out of a pulse of light. The findings of this research, which appeared this week in Nature Photonics, bear both fundamental and practical significance: Light is the workhorse of today's communication systems, and single photons are likely to be the backbone of future quantum communication systems. In addition, say the scientists, the apparatus they have devised will spur further research into the fundamental particle nature of light.