Graphene-Based Josephson Junction Enables Single-Photon Detection

Researchers at Raytheon BBN Technologies developed a method of single-photon detection based on a Josephson junction. The advancement, which is poised to spur development in sensor, communication, and quantum processing technology, features the Josephson junction in a role that is analogous to that of a transistor in electronic systems, said Kin Chung Fong, a quantum information processing scientist at Raytheon BBN Technologies. Fong is also a research associate at Harvard University. The work builds on previous research into a microwave radiation detector 100,000× more sensitive than existing systems. The new work focuses on photons, which possess wavelengths four orders of magnitude shorter than microwaves. “To...