A research team from the University of Sydney’s School of Physics have recently made a breakthrough in how to generate single photons or light particles as carriers of quantum information in security systems.

Professor Benjamin Eggleton, Director of the Centre for Ultrahigh bandwidth Devices for Optical Systems (CUDOS), leads the research team in a collaborative effort between the School of Physics and the School of Electrical and Information Engineering in utilising quantum communication and computing to revolutionise the ability to exchange data securely.

“The ability to generate single photons, which form the backbone of technology used in laptops and the internet, will drive the development of local secure communications systems – for safeguarding defence and intelligence networks, the financial security of corporations and governments and bolstering personal electronic privacy, like shopping online,” Eggleton says.

The team are currently exploring real-world applications of this new technology.