Sparrow Quantum and Ruhr University Bochum have developed a new photon source. It generates over 500 million photons per second. The flow is directed into a single-mode fiber. This was reported by The Quantum Insider. The data is taken from the company's press release. The result is a record. This is the highest published flow of single photons.
The system operates at a frequency of 1 GHz. The efficiency of input into the fiber exceeds 50%. The photons have high purity. They are indistinguishable without spectral filtering. The flow exceeds 100 pW of optical power. It can be measured with a standard optical meter. The development is useful for multiphoton experiments. The source is divided into 10 channels. Spatial-temporal demultiplexing is used. Each channel receives tens of millions of photons per second. This is sufficient for experiments with 10 photons. Interference of 10–20 particles is also possible.
The company plans to apply the source in metrology. It could become the standard for photon flow. It can also be used for calibrating detectors. Vice President of Sparrow Quantum Juan Carlos Loredo noted the new level of flow. According to him, this removes some limitations. Potential areas of application include quantum computing. Also, quantum networks, communications, and metrology. The founder of the company, Peter Lodal, mentioned the next challenge. This is scalable generation and control of entanglement. It concerns larger photonic quantum systems. The development shows progress in photonic quantum technologies. They are promising for fault-tolerant quantum computers. The research creates a foundation for further work. This relates to multiphoton information processing and quantum metrology.