Quantum devices revolutionise infrared detection

A research team from the Materials and Quantum Phenomena Laboratory (MPQ, University of Paris Diderot/CNRS) has just developed a new ultra-fast photonic device that operates at room temperature, enabling the detection of infrared radiation. This scientific advance will revolutionise the use of far infrared radiation in our daily lives. This work was published in the journal Nature on 26 March 2018. From now on, we will be able to see even better at night and detect pollutants or harmful agents at a distance with the help of agile, compact and robust systems. A new generation of ultra-sensitive detectors opens up the infrared to a vast number of applications that will impact our daily lives. Far infrared (i.e. wavelengths 20 to 100 times longer than those of the visible spectrum) is light that is invisible to the naked eye and can only be measured with a detector.