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Quantum physics

Free electrons as a source of nonclassical light

Photon sources used in quantum optics are limited in ways that free electron sources may not be. Now, accelerated electrons have been shown to generate non-classical light — this opens up possibilities for quantum experiments at the nanoscale.

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Fig. 1: Electron energy-loss spectroscopy and heralded photon sources.

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Correspondence to Sophie Meuret or Hugo Lourenço-Martins.

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Meuret, S., Lourenço-Martins, H. Free electrons as a source of nonclassical light. Nat. Phys. 21, 1696–1697 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-025-03082-6

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