A highway instead of a racetrack: Strong coupling of light and sound in an optical fiber

AI Summary

Researchers achieved strong coupling between light and long-lived acoustic vibrations in an optical fiber, a first for the field. The result could enable optical fibers to function as quantum processors and support new quantum signal-processing technologies.

For the first time, scientists have achieved strong coupling between light and long-lived acoustic vibrations in an optical fiber. Optical fibers are used in both classical telecommunications and quantum communication and could serve not only as connections between computing nodes but also as quantum processors themselves in the future. The results, published in Nature Physics, pave the way for new technologies in quantum signal processing.