Summary

Researchers at AIST have directly observed magnetic flux quanta generated in a superconductor by photon absorption and demonstrated a new principle of photon detection that identifies the number of photons based on the number of these flux quanta. Detecting individual photons is a key technology for photonic quantum computers and quantum communication, and several methods have been proposed. While some of these methods are already in practical use for research purposes, their integration into industrial applications has just begun.

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