The two-photon method made it possible to increase the accuracy of nanoscale measurements by a hundred times. Free Technical Library News

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The two-photon method made it possible to increase the accuracy of nanoscale measurements by a hundred times

14.05.2018

The accuracy of measuring the size of nanostructures has been increased by at least a hundred times, thanks to the work of researchers from the University of Warwick, the QuantIC center and the University of Glasgow. A new method using pairs of photons, the fundamental particles of light, makes it possible to measure the thickness of objects 100 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair, with an accuracy 100 times greater than any other method.

The new measurement method uses a source that emits pairs of photons that are almost identical in all respects. These photons are separated using a component called a light splitter, about 30 thousand pairs of photons are used to carry out one measurement cycle, and about 500 billion photons are used to carry out the entire measurement as a whole.

One of the photons, photon A, remains inside the light splitter, and the second photon, photon B, passes through the object, causing its speed to slow down somewhat. After that, photon B again returns to the light splitter and leaves it together with photon A. Measuring the delay between the exit of photons A and B from the splitter gives the value of the thickness of the object through which photon B passed. And the accuracy of such measurements is at least 100 times higher than the accuracy similar measurements made with only one photon.

With this method it is possible to measure objects made of transparent material. But even this is quite enough to study the structure and properties of cell membranes, DNA molecules. In addition, the new measurement method can be used for quality control in the production of graphene and other conventionally two-dimensional materials.

"The most interesting thing about this achievement is that the measurements are not carried out with the help of some unstable quantum technologies, but with the help of sensors based on time-tested conventional physical principles," says Dr George Knee, who developed the theoretical basis of the experiment. , - "A higher measurement accuracy was obtained by us due to the special adjustment of the interferometer and its constant recalibration, which made it possible to eliminate the slow time and temperature drift."

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