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[TECHNOLOGY] · Canada, Germany · 3 sources

Researchers generate quantum entanglement from sunlight

An international team of researchers has successfully generated entangled photons directly from sunlight for the first time. This breakthrough demonstrates that the spatial and temporal incoherence characteristic of solar radiation does not prevent the production of quantum entanglement in photon polarization.

Traditionally, generating entangled photon pairs requires high-energy lasers and a process known as spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC). The researchers, hailing from the University of Ottawa in Canada and the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light in Germany, achieved this feat using solar light, a medium previously considered too incoherent for such purposes. The study has been published in the journal Optica.

Quantum entanglement is a fundamental phenomenon where particles remain connected such that the state of one instantly influences the other, regardless of distance. This resource is critical for the advancement of quantum computing, high-precision sensors, and quantum communication systems.

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Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light · Optica · University of Ottawa

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