Researchers unlock hidden dimensions inside a single photon
Researchers have discovered new ways to shape quantum light, creating high-dimensional states that can carry much more information per photon. Using advanced tools like on-chip photonics and ultrafast light structuring, they’re pushing quantum communication and imaging into exciting new territory. Although long-distance transmission remains tricky, innovative approaches—such as topological quantum states—could make these fragile signals far more resilient. The momentum suggests quantum optics is entering a bold new phase.
Researchers from Wits University and Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona show how controlling the structure of photons in space and time enables tailored quantum states for next-generation communication, sensing, and imaging. Credit: Wits University
Physicists at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, together with colleagues from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, have shown how light at the quantum level can be deliberately shaped across space and time to produce high-dimensional and multidimensional quantum states. By carefully controlling a photon's spatial pattern, timing, and spectrum, the team can design what are known as structured photons. These custom-built particles of light open new possibilities for high-capacity quantum communication and next-generation quantum technologies.
Their findings appear in a review published in Nature Photonics, which examines the rapid advances in creating, controlling, and measuring structured quantum light. The paper highlights a growing set of powerful tools, including on-chip integrated photonics, nonlinear optics, and multiplane light conversion. Together, these methods are transforming structured quantum states from laboratory concepts into practical systems for imaging, sensing, and quantum networks.
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