Chemistry & Physics
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 30-Mar-2026 12:16 ET (30-Mar-2026 16:16 GMT/UTC)
Finding the “quantum needle” in a haystack
Institut national de la recherche scientifique - INRSPeer-Reviewed Publication
In quantum technologies, everything depends on the ability to detect the properties carried by a single photon. But in the real world, that photon of interest is often buried in a sea of unwanted light — a true “needle in a haystack” challenge that currently limits the deployment of many applications, including secure quantum communication, quantum sensors used in telescope networks, as well as the interconnection of quantum computers to accelerate the development of new drugs and materials.
At the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS), the team of Professor José Azaña, in collaboration with Professor Roberto Morandotti’s group, has developed a surprisingly simple and energy‑efficient way to overcome this obstacle. The work was carried out by Benjamin Crockett during his PhD at the INRS Énergie Matériaux Télécommunications Research Centre. He recently completed his degree and is now a Banting postdoctoral fellow at the University of British Columbia (UBC).
Their method not only reduces noise but, more importantly, recovers essential quantum properties that would otherwise be lost in bright environments where current technologies fail. The team’s findings were published in Science Advances.
- Journal
- Science Advances
- Funder
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Fonds de recherche du Québec
Common disinfectant chemicals far more toxic when inhaled, study finds
University of California - DavisPeer-Reviewed Publication
- Journal
- Environmental Science & Technology
Quantum researchers engineer extremely precise phonon lasers
University of RochesterPeer-Reviewed Publication
- Journal
- Nature Communications
How topological protection enables robust nanophotonic device fabrication
Science China PressPeer-Reviewed Publication
- Journal
- Science Bulletin
Simultaneous delayed fluorescence and phosphorescence in organic luminescent material employing multiple excited states
Light Publishing Center, Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics And Physics, CASPeer-Reviewed Publication
A group lead by Prof. Martin Baumgarten, Prof. Paul Blom, and Dr. Yungui Li from the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research has developed a novel organic emitter featuring simultaneous prompt fluorescence (PF, ns), thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF, μs), and room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP, ms) by verifying the key role of the second triplet state (T₂). This work develops an organic emitter with high RTP quantum yield of 33.6%, published in Light: Science & Applications.
- Funder
- Max Planck Society, German DFG funding
AI-driven Catalyst Discovery: €30 million funding for German consortium
Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und EnergieBusiness Announcement