"Counting Photons for Quantum Computing"

Engineers at Jefferson Lab contributed to the design and construction of a photon detection system that is essential to photonics-based quantum computing and unbreakable encryption. Nuclear physicists and quantum information experts have demonstrated the capability of a photon-number-resolving system to resolve more than 100 photons accurately. This accomplishment represents a significant stride forward in the development of quantum computing capabilities. It may also facilitate the quantum generation of truly random numbers, a long-sought objective in the development of unbreakable encryption techniques for applications such as military communications and financial transactions. Recently, the detector was disclosed in Nature Photonics. This article continues to discuss the research on the resolution of 100 photons and quantum generation of unbiased random numbers. 

Jefferson Lab reports "Counting Photons for Quantum Computing"