Honda Research Institute USA (HRI-US) has announced its achievement of a new milestone in quantum materials technology, in its development of a novel method for growing atomically thin nanoribbons. These one-atom-thick, ribbon-shaped materials, engineered with precise width and electronic properties, enable secure quantum communication for protecting sensitive information.
Published in Nature Communications, the HRI-US research provides a new synthesis method for transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) nanoribbons (NRs). The method can be used in quantum optoelectronics to facilitate secure data transmission using quantum key distribution (QKD).
“Our technology provides a new pathway for the synthesis of quantum nanoribbons with precise width control, leveraging their unique mechanical and electronic properties as a single photon light source to realize secure communication known as ‘quantum communication’,” said Dr. Avetik Harutyunyan, Senior Chief Scientist, Honda Research Institute USA Inc. and the leader of the quantum research.
Secure communication systems using QKD leverage quantum mechanics for the safeguarding of encrypted data. The method relies upon the secure distribution of encryption keys between two parties. This enables them to generate a shared secret key for the encryption and decryption of sensitive information. Any attempt to intercept such encrypted communications would disturb the quantum state, making eavesdropping immediately detectable, as it would tangibly disrupt information transmission.
HRI-US researchers, working together with university collaborators, were able to successfully encode information on a stream of individual photons– “atoms” of light or elementary particles of the light – emitted by the new nanoribbon material, similar to the use of binary code of “0’s” and “1’s” used in computing. These proton streams can then be used to transmit and decode secure messages between a transmitter and receiver. In this scheme, a series of single photons is transmitted in one of two possible quantum states. The receiver then performs a measurement to differentiate between them.
After comparing both the transmitted and measured quantum states of the photons, the sender and the receiver can establish a secure key that can be used for communication encryption. Any attempted eavesdropping on the encrypted communication will inevitably interfere with the quantum states, introducing immediately-detectable errors by the sender and the receiver.
In quantum communications, regulating the flow of single photons streams is essential. Current laser-based photon sources emit protons that are overly densely packed (e.g., 7.5 × 10²⁰ photons per pulse) and thereby interfere with encoded quantum data. This creates the need for a single photon emitter source that provides a stream of single photons used to encode the information.
“By creating a single atomic-layer NR from materials such as molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) and tungsten diselenide (WSe2) using transition metal-alloyed nanoparticles as a catalyst that initiate the growth of nanoribbons, we were able to control the width of the NRs during the growth process down to 7 nanometers,” said Dr. Xufan Li Principial Scientist at HRI-US.
These one-dimensional nanoribbons were transferred onto a sharp-tip probe using a specialty transfer process developed by Dr. Shuang Wu, Senior Scientist at HRI-US. This method created a unique, localized strain-induced electronic structure on the probe tip. Under laser beam excitation, the strain-engineered electronic structure caused the emission of a stream of single photons.
“Our new nanoribbons exhibit remarkable width-dependent and strain-induced electronic properties and quantum emission characteristics, including up to 90% purity of single photons in the stream,” said Harutyunyan. “In subsequent research with collaborators, we were able to further improve the photon purity higher than 95%, making the material highly promising for future applications in quantum communication and quantum optoelectronic devices.”
HRI-US collaborated with Professor Nicholas Borys of Montana State University and Professor James Schuck of Columbia University to validate the feasibility of the new materials as a single-photon emitter source for quantum communications. The research was completed with contributions from multiple researchers and organizations, including Samuel Wyss, Joseph Stage, and Dr. Matthew Strasbourg of Montana State University; Professor James Hone and Dr. Emanuil Yanev of Columbia University; Professor Ju Li and Dr. Qing-Jie Li of Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Dr. Yang Yang, Yongwen Sun and Yingxin Zhu of Pennsylvania State University; and Dr. Raymond R. Unocic of North Carolina State University
This R&D effort also builds on previous work by HRI-US, previously published in Science Advances, on width-controllable nanoribbon double atomic layer growth.
About Honda Research Institute USA
Founded in 2003 and headquartered in Silicon Valley, Honda Research Institute USA (HRI-US) conducts advanced research in key areas aligned with Honda’s future technology roadmap. The institute collaborates with public and private institutions to drive innovation in materials science, artificial intelligence, and mobility solutions.
For more information, visit usa.honda-ri.com.
Source/Photo Credit: Honda Research Institute USA, Inc.
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