Researchers unlock hidden dimensions inside a single photon

Physicists at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, together with colleagues from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, have shown how light at the quantum level can be deliberately shaped across space and time to produce high-dimensional and multidimensional quantum states. By carefully controlling a photon's spatial pattern, timing, and spectrum, the team can design what are known as structured photons. These custom-built particles of light open new possibilities ...