Changing the Color of Quantum light on an Integrated Chip

illustration of phase modulator.
Changing the color of single photons using an integrated phase modulator. (Credit: Loncar Lab/Harvard SEAS)

Optical photons are ideal carriers of quantum information. But to work together in a quantum computer or network, they need to have the same color—or frequency—and bandwidth. Changing a photon’s frequency requires altering its energy, which is particularly challenging on integrated photonic chips.

Recently, researchers from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) developed an integrated electro-optic modulator that can efficiently change the frequency and ‘bandwidth of single photons. The device could be used for more advanced quantum computing and quantum networks.

The research is published in Light: Science & Applications.

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Mars Megatsunami may have been caused by Chicxulub-like Asteroid Impact

A Martian megatsunami may have been caused by an asteroid collision similar to the Chicxulub impact—which contributed to the mass extinction of all non-avian dinosaurs on Earth 66 million years ago—in a shallow ocean region, according to a study published in Scientific Reports.

Previous research has proposed that an asteroid or comet impact within an ocean in the Martian northern lowlands may have caused a megatsunami approximately 3.4 billion years ago. However, prior to this study the location of the resulting impact crater was unclear.

Alexis Rodriguez and colleagues analyzed maps of Mars’ surface, created by combining images from previous missions to the planet, and identified an impact crater that could have caused the megatsunami...

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Machine Learning Model builds on Imaging Methods to better Detect Ovarian Lesions

ultrasound images or a benign and a malignant lesion using Zhu's new technique
(From left) The top row shows an ultrasound image of a malignant lesion, the blood oxygen saturation, and hemoglobin concentration. The bottom row is an ultrasound image of a benign lesion, the blood oxygen saturation, and hemoglobin concentration. (Image: Zhu lab)

New research yields a novel method to use ultrasound to enhance machine learning’s ability to accurately diagnose — or rule out — ovarian cancer.

Although ovarian cancer is the deadliest type of cancer for women, only about 20% of cases are found at an early stage, as there are no real screening tests for them and few symptoms to prompt them...

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Engineers use Quantum Computing to develop Transparent Window Coating that Blocks Heat, Saves Energy

Notre Dame’s Golden Dome partially photographed through a sample (top left) of the TRC coating.
Notre Dame’s Golden Dome partially photographed through a sample (top left) of the TRC coating.

Cooling accounts for about 15 percent of global energy consumption. Conventional clear windows allow the sun to heat up interior spaces, which energy-guzzling air-conditioners must then cool down. But what if a window could help cool the room, use no energy and preserve the view?

Tengfei Luo, the Dorini Family Professor of Energy Studies at the University of Notre Dame, and postdoctoral associate Seongmin Kim have devised a transparent coating for windows that does just that.

The coating, or transparent radiative cooler (TRC), allows visible light to come in and keeps other heat-producing light out...

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