The academic journal Physical Review Letters -- sponsored by the American Physical Society -- published an important article on Dec 4 on the major progress being made by Shanxi University’s research team on Cavity Quantum Electrodynamics, or CQED, according to SXU ofificials.

Scientists say CQED is the study of the interaction between light confined in a reflective cavity and atoms or other particles, under conditions where the quantum nature of light photons is significant. Experts say it could in principle be used to construct a quantum computer.

The paper, entitled Realization of Nonlinear Optical Nonreciprocity on a Few-photon Level Based on Atoms Strongly Coupled to an Asymmetric Cavity, explained how the use of a strongly coupled CQED optical non-reciprocal transmission at several photon levels is achieved.

The lead author of the paper is Yang Pengfei, a doctoral candidate at the State Key Laboratory of Quantum Optics and Optical Quantum Devices of Shanxi University, and the corresponding authors are professors Zhang Tiancai and Li Gang at SXU.

Collaborators include doctoral students He Hai and Li Shaokang, a master’s student Han Xing and associate professor Zhang Pengfei.

The collaborators in the theoretical aspects are associate professor Xia Xiuwen of Jinggangshan University, professor Zhang Peng of Renmin University and professors Xu Jingping and Yang Yaping of Tongji University.