Light-Driven Quantum Network Promises Faster, Enhanced Communication

Using magnetic and semiconducting materials, researchers at the University of Rochester and Cornell University designed a nanoscale node capable of using laser light to emit and accept photons to interact with other nodes. Compared to current networks used to perform computations and communications, the quantum mechanics development capitalizes on light’s physical properties to deliver a faster, increasingly efficient method to perform computations and detections involving objects and materials. In the design, the researchers arranged semiconductor and magnetic materials to form a platform that consisted of an array of pillars, each 120 nm in height. The pillars mark the location of a distinct quantum state that can interact...