Magnetizing the Future of Quantum Communication: Single-Photon Emission from Defective Tungsten Diselenide

Quantum communication with single-photon source

Published: July 28, 2025 | By Quantum Server Networks

Quantum communication is one of the most exciting frontiers in secure data transmission. Now, a groundbreaking discovery by researchers at Kyoto University offers a major leap forward: a single-photon source created using defective tungsten diselenide (WSe2), enhanced under the influence of a magnetic field. The result? A powerful and controllable emitter that could revolutionize quantum information technologies.

The original article can be accessed at: Phys.org

Quantum Communication: The Need for Single Photons

Unlike classical communication systems that transmit waves or electrical signals, quantum communication uses individual photons to encode and transmit data. This makes eavesdropping virtually impossible, as any attempt to intercept quantum information disrupts the transmission—ensuring unprecedented security in communication networks.

However, building reliable single-photon sources has long been a technical challenge. The ideal quantum emitter should produce one photon at a time, be controllable, and work under practical conditions. Enter tungsten diselenide, a two-dimensional material just a few atoms thick.

Defects That Shine: Creating Quantum Emitters from 2D Semiconductors

Researchers led by Kazunari Matsuda at Kyoto University set out to investigate whether carefully introduced defects in monolayer WSe2 could localize excitons—bound states of electrons and holes—to emit one photon at a time. They engineered the defects by thermally treating the WSe2 and disrupting its crystal symmetry, which led to two distinct emission peaks associated with bright and dark excitons.

Then came the clever twist: they applied a relatively weak external magnetic field and observed a dramatic increase in emission intensity. Using photon correlation measurements, they confirmed the presence of photon antibunching, a signature trait of single-photon emission. In simpler terms, the photons were being released one at a time—a vital prerequisite for quantum networks.

Magnetically Enhanced Quantum Light Sources

The innovation lies not only in creating a single-photon source, but in being able to manipulate it magnetically. This finding paves the way for compact, tunable, and magnetically controlled photon emitters integrated on chips, dramatically enhancing the practicality of quantum communication technologies.

Published in Science Advances, the study titled "Magnetic brightening and its dynamics of defect-localized exciton emission in monolayer two-dimensional semiconductor" (DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adr5562) marks a key step toward scalable and secure quantum communication infrastructure.

WSe2: The Rising Star of 2D Quantum Materials

WSe2 belongs to the family of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), a class of atomically thin materials with tunable electrical and optical properties. Due to their flexibility, strong excitonic effects, and compatibility with existing semiconductor platforms, TMDs are being rapidly adopted for quantum optoelectronics, valleytronics, and spintronics.

By demonstrating that engineered defects and external fields can fine-tune the photonic behavior of WSe2, this study opens new doors in the field of on-chip quantum light sources—devices essential for building scalable quantum networks, cryptographic systems, and quantum sensors.

Conclusion

This pioneering work from Kyoto University demonstrates that even the imperfections of materials, when carefully designed and controlled, can serve as the foundation for the next generation of ultra-secure, quantum-enabled technologies. With the ability to generate and manipulate single photons using 2D materials and magnetic fields, the vision of global quantum communication networks just got a little bit closer.

Quantum communication is no longer science fiction—it’s rapidly becoming quantum engineering.

Sponsored by PWmat (Lonxun Quantum) – a leading developer of GPU-accelerated materials simulation software for cutting-edge quantum, energy, and semiconductor research. Learn more about our solutions at: https://www.pwmat.com/en

📘 Download our latest company brochure to explore our software features, capabilities, and success stories: PWmat PDF Brochure

📞 Phone: +86 400-618-6006
📧 Email: support@pwmat.com

© 2025 Quantum Server Networks. All rights reserved.

#QuantumCommunication #SinglePhoton #WSe2 #TungstenDiselenide #2DMaterials #Photonics #QuantumSecurity #QuantumDevices #KyotoUniversity #QuantumServerNetworks #PWmat

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Quantum Chemistry Meets AI: A New Era for Molecular Machine Learning

Image
In a powerful leap forward for computational chemistry and materials design, researchers from Carnegie Mellon University have developed a new kind of molecular machine learning model—one that goes beyond simplistic molecular graphs and integrates fundamental principles of quantum chemistry. Their work, published in Nature Machine Intelligence , could radically enhance our ability to predict chemical behavior, optimize catalysts, and discover new drugs, all while using less data and gaining more scientific insight. The Problem: Traditional Molecular Representations Fall Short Molecular machine learning (ML) models underpin key processes in drug discovery, materials science, and catalysis. However, most existing models use simplified representations such as SMILES strings, 2D graphs, or coordinate matrices. These techniques often lack the quantum-chemical information that governs how molecules truly behave—particularly electron interactions that define reactivity, stability, and...
Read more

Water Simulations Under Scrutiny: Researchers Confirm Methodological Errors

Image
Accurate water simulations are vital for research in biomolecular structures, drug discovery, and materials science. But a recent study from Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has revealed a potential pitfall in long-standing computational methods, raising concerns about the reliability of countless molecular dynamics studies. The Time Step Problem in Simulations At the heart of the issue is the “time step” used in simulations—the small intervals at which calculations are performed. Since the 1970s, scientists have used time steps of 2 femtoseconds (quadrillionths of a second) to simulate molecular motion efficiently. However, the ORNL team has shown that using this standard can introduce significant errors when modeling liquid water, potentially leading to inaccurate predictions of properties such as density, pressure, and hydration energies. “Using longer time steps is tempting because it reduces computational cost,” explained senior scientist Dilip Asthagiri. “But a...
Read more

CrystalGPT: Redefining Crystal Design with AI-Driven Predictions

Image
July 18, 2025 In a major leap for materials chemistry, researchers in the UK have developed Molecular Crystal Representation from Transformers (MCRT) —an AI model likened to ChatGPT for its transformative impact. Dubbed "CrystalGPT" , this foundation model rapidly predicts the physical properties of molecular crystals, revolutionizing how chemists design materials in silico . The AI Revolution in Crystal Design Understanding and predicting the properties of molecular crystals is critical for designing new materials for applications ranging from pharmaceuticals to energy storage. Traditional computational approaches, though powerful, are often resource-intensive and slow. Machine learning methods such as Smooth Overlap of Atomic Positions (SOAP) and atom-centred symmetry functions (ACSFs) have offered improvements, but they struggle with large datasets and subtle structural nuances. CrystalGPT, developed by a team led by Andy Cooper at the University of Liverpool, o...
Read more