Photon Avalanche: How to Catch the Invisible express
Original: "Amplification and Detection of Single Itinerant Microwave Photons"
A single microwave photon multiplies into dozens, making it detectable.
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A single microwave photon is almost unnoticeable. But with a superconducting trap, it can be coaxed into multiplying into dozens of identical particles. An avalanche ensues, easily detectable. Such a detector can count every quantum of light, opening the door to quantum computing networks and the study of the cosmic microwave background.
🎯 The energy of a single microwave photon is roughly 100,000 times less than that of a visible-light photon, yet these are the particles that carry information about the early Universe.