NASA and Caltech researchers launch new quantum detector

US researchers have developed a quantum detector that could improve the performance of optical communication systems by expanding the transmission distance of signals. The technology can detect single photons of light with high efficiency and low noise. This makes it well-suited for use in quantum communication, where information is encoded in individual photons.

In the USA, researchers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Caltech have developed a quantum detector that could improve the performance of optical communication systems by expanding the transmission distance of signals. The detector, which is based on a superconducting nanowire, can detect single photons of light with high efficiency and low noise. This makes it well-suited for use in quantum communication, where information is encoded in individual photons.

The researchers demonstrated the detector’s performance by using it to receive a laser signal transmitted over a distance of 20 km. This could enable the development of more efficient and secure communication systems and improve the performance of satellite-based instruments that rely on optical signals.