22 October 2020
In the southeastern Chinese city of Hefei, a team of researchers led by physicist Pan Jianwei has built a new device with potential use in a battlefield. Pan’s device is the most sensitive light source on Earth. It can produce a single photon, or a particle of light with the spooky behaviour of quantum physics, and these photons can be used to enable ultra-secure communication, detect unknown microorganisms or reveal a submarine lurking hundreds of metres deep in the ocean. Marlan Scully, a physicist in the United States, has participated in this project, according to their co-authored paper, published in journal Physical Review Letters earlier this month.
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