(SiliconRepublic) Futurists envision a time when quantum technologies, aircraft and spaceships could be fuelled simply by the momentum of light. A team of material scientists, physicists and engineers from Stanford University, Harvard and the University of Technology Sydney has looked at one potential source of such a light: hexagonal boron nitride.
This material can emit bright light as a single photon at a time at room temperature, making it easier to use compared with alternative quantum sources. However, hexagonal boron nitride has a major downside in that it emits light in a rainbow of different hues, making it impossible to control.
n order to one day control these defects, the team envisions strategic placements of quantum emitters, as well as being able to turn the emissions on and off for future quantum computers.
Solving Defect in Quantum Material Could See Spaceships Powered by Light
