In a groundbreaking discovery, researchers from Tampere University, along with collaborators in Germany and India, have experimentally validated the conservation of angular momentum when a single photon splits into two. Published in Physical Review Letters, this finding marks a significant leap forward in quantum physics.
The team, led by Dr. Lea Kopf, meticulously observed the conservation of orbital angular momentum (OAM) during spontaneous parametric down-conversion. They found that when a photon with zero OAM splits, the resulting photons' OAM sums to zero, confirming a fundamental law at the most basic level.
This breakthrough could revolutionize quantum computing, communication, and sensing. The researchers are now focused on enhancing the efficiency of their methods and exploring the creation of even more complex quantum states, opening doors to novel quantum tests and applications.