Little lamp may set quantum tech aglow

By implanting tiny atomic clusters in a commonplace electronic component, researchers have created a device that may hasten the arrival of exotic technologies that rely on quantum mechanics.

Under each hole in a tiny metal strip (arrow), an atomic cluster emits just one photon when excited by one voltage pulse. Yuan et al./Science

The new device is a type of light-emitting diode, or LED, the class of tiny, lamps found widely in electronic items and increasingly in electric equipment ranging from on-off switches to bus taillights.