Researchers from the Faculty and the Faculty of Physics have made a groundbreaking discovery published in Nature: a new form of quantum entanglement based on total angular momentum in photons confined to nanostructures. This discovery could pave the way for miniaturized components in quantum communication and quantum computing.
The study was led by Ph.D. student Amit Kam and Dr. Shai Tsesses (currently a postdoc at MIT) from Prof. Guy Bartal’s group, in collaboration with the groups of Professors. Moti Segev and Meir Orenstein. Additional contributors from our faculty include Dr. Yigal Ilin, Dr. Koby Cohen, Lior Fridman, and Stav Lotan.
Entanglement is a fundamental quantum phenomenon traditionally demonstrated in properties like spin or orbit. This study shows that in nanoscale systems—about one-thousandth the width of a human hair—photons can be entangled through their total angular momentum, a combined property of spin and orbital motion that emerges when photons are confined below their wavelength.
By mapping the transition of photons through these structures, the team demonstrated a new entangled state—marking the first discovery of its kind in over two decades.
This research was supported by the Israel Innovation Authority (MAGNET program), the Israel Science Foundation (ISF), the Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute (RBNI), the Micro and Nano Fabrication Unit (MNFU), and the Helen Diller Quantum Center.
