Scientists at Honda Research Institute USA, Inc. developed a revolutionary method for growing atomically thin “nanoribbon,” marking a remarkable advancement in quantum materials and quantum communications. These nanoribbons are just one atom thick and tens of atoms wide in ribbon-shaped materials. These materials hold the potential to highly secure communication by enabling unbreakable encryption methods.
The Breakthrough: Atomically Thin Nanoribbons
The development of the nanoribbons is a significant step toward practical quantum communication systems. Nanoribbons are ultra-thin, ribbon-shaped materials with atomic-scale thickness. These nanoribbons exhibit unique quantum properties, the Honda Research Institute team has successfully synthesized these materials. Under the laser beam excitation, these materials emit light. This light emitted can be harnessed to carry encoded information. This capability paves the way to create a physical layer of quantum secure communication that can immediately detect any interception attempts to the communication.
“The precise width control at the heart of the innovation, our technology provides a new pathway for the synthesis of quantum nanoribbons. Nanoribbons leverage 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 Researcher of Quantum Research and Chief Scientist, at HRI-US.
This novel secure communication based on the quantum key distribution (QKD) method uses the principles of quantum mechanics. This method protects information and secures data transmission. QKD method relies on the secure distribution of encryption keys between two players. This allows the remarkable method to generate a shared secret key. This key can be used to encrypt and decrypt sensitive information. This method further allows the nanoribbons to detect the interference attempt quickly. Because any interruption attempt would physically interfere with the transmission of the information.
Origin and Foundation of Novel Method
HRI 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 communication. These researchers found that the advanced 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. In a subsequent study, the researchers were able to further improve the photon purity higher than 95%. These results showed the promising potential of the material for future applications in quantum communication and quantum optoelectronic devices.
Reportedly, this breakthrough builds upon the Institute’s earlier study in the field of quantum materials. Earlier in 2021, the Honda Research Institute announced the synthesis of atomically thin nanoribbons that demonstrated quantum electron transport at temperatures significantly higher than those achieved by conventional methods. This earlier research laid the foundation for the current advancement by establishing methods to create and manipulate materials with desirable quantum properties.
We created a single atomic layer of nanoribbons from materials like molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) and tungsten diselenide (WSe2). We further used transition metal alloyed nanoparticles as a catalyst that initiated the growth of nanoribbons. Thereby, we were able to control the width of the nanoribbons during the growth process down to 7 nanometers,” said Dr. Xufan Li Principal Scientist at HRI-US.
Future Prospects
The successful synthesis of these nanoribbons opens new avenues for research and development in quantum communication technologies. As research progresses, the methods developed by HRI-US may lead to more practical and scalable quantum technologies.
In conclusion, the work of HRI-US represents a significant milestone in the field of quantum materials and communication. The development of atomically thin nanoribbons enhances quantum secure communication. Furthermore, these materials bring us closer to a secure future. Also, advanced quantum technologies are going to be a reality than typical continuous research.
