Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Applications of single photons in quantum metrology, biology and the foundations of quantum physics

Published

Author(s)

Christophe Couteau, Stefanie Barz, Thomas Durt, Thomas Gerrits, Jan Huwer, Robert Prevedel, John Rarity, Gregor Weihs

Abstract

With the development of photonic quantum technologies, single photons have become key for various applications including quantum communication and quantum computing, discussed in an accompanying Review. Here we overview the applications of single photons in quantum metrology, biology and experiments probing the foundations of quantum physics. For each of these applications, we outline the main milestones reached so far, the remaining challenges, and the improvements that could be made in the future. We conclude with a wish list for future single-photon sources.
Citation
Nature Reviews Physics
Volume
5

Keywords

single photon detection, single photon metrology, biology

Citation

Couteau, C. , Barz, S. , Durt, T. , Gerrits, T. , Huwer, J. , Prevedel, R. , Rarity, J. and Weihs, G. (2023), Applications of single photons in quantum metrology, biology and the foundations of quantum physics, Nature Reviews Physics, [online], https://doi.org/10.1038/s42254-023-00589-w, https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=936692 (Accessed May 2, 2024)
Created May 26, 2023, Updated April 9, 2024