05-07-2025
University of Strathclyde discovery could boost imaging
Researchers from the University of Strathclyde found that two-photon processes, useful in studying Alzheimer's disease and other nervous system disorders, can become more efficient with quantum light at far higher levels than previously thought.
Typically, these processes require high-intensity light, which can harm samples.
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Entangled photon pairs were suggested as a solution to this problem, but it was believed that the quantum enhancement only worked with very faint light.
The new study by researchers in Scotland and Italy showed that quantum enhancement was successful at light intensity levels nearly 10 times higher.
This could lead to new technology with stronger signals without losing quantum enhancement.
The study was conducted by researchers from Strathclyde, the University of Glasgow, Università dell'Insubria in Como, and Istituto di Fotonica e Nanotecnologie del CNR in Milan.
It was published in Science Advances.
Dr Lucia Caspani, lead researcher in the project and visiting researcher at Strathclyde's Institute of Photonics, said: "We have been able to demonstrate that quantum effects can still provide an advantage well beyond the level of low intensity.
"This could significantly expand the role of quantum light in applied technologies, notably within the field of biosensing.
"Our research could lay the groundwork for the next generation of quantum-enhanced sensing approaches."
Researchers examined two-photon processes and compared the results from quantum and classical light experiments with those of an experiment using classical, non-quantum light.
The findings showed that two-photon processes driven by quantum light are more efficient than their classical counterparts, even at higher intensities where quantum enhancement was expected to fade.
