Stanford Researchers Develop Room-Temperature Quantum Communication Device Using Twisted Light and Molybdenum Diselenide

Materials scientists at Stanford University have developed a nanoscale optical device that operates at room temperature to entangle the spin of photons and electrons for quantum communication. Current quantum systems require temperatures near absolute zero to maintain qubit stability and prevent decoherence, making them large and costly. The new device eliminates the need for super-cooling.

The device consists of a thin, patterned layer of molybdenum diselenide (MoSe2), a transition metal dichalcogenide (TMDC), placed atop a nanopatterned silicon substrate. Silicon nanostructures produce twisted light, where photons spin in a corkscrew pattern.

This twisted light imparts spin to electrons, enabling entanglement between photons and electrons to form qubits. The material combination confines and enhances the light twisting, creating strong spin coupling that stabilizes the quantum state.

Jennifer Dionne, professor of materials science and engineering and senior author, stated that the approach uses the material in a new way to provide a stable spin connection between electrons and photons.

Feng Pan, postdoctoral scholar and first author, explained that the spinning photons transfer spin to electrons.

The research, published in Nature Communications, involved collaboration with Stanford professors Fang Liu and Tony Heinz.

Researche...