12 Jun Entangling photons for cancer diagnostics
The Ferdinand-Braun-Institut, Leibniz-Institut für Höchstfrequenztechnik (FBH), reports on the development of quantum light sources that can be used in medicine for the early diagnosis of cancer. Tissue samples are therefore examined using hyperspectral imaging. The FBH uses high-power diode lasers that emit at a wavelength of 720 nm. In a non-linear crystal, entangled photon pairs are generated in the mid and near infrared (MIR and NIR), which are made to interfere and used for imaging. Using the innovative method of ‘measurement using undetected photons’, the sample is scanned with the MIR photons, but the measurement information is obtained by detecting the entangled NIR photons. In this so-called quantum imaging, an image is only generated with the photons that do not interact directly with the object. The advantage of this method is diagnostics in the more cost-effective NIR range, which does not require expensive light sources and sensor systems with lower efficiency in the MIR range. According to the developers, the systems also significantly shorten measurement times compared to existing solutions. The system, which is based on quantum technology, therefore makes an important contribution to rapid cancer diagnostics. The development is being funded by the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) as part of the QEED project.
Source: www.fbh-berlin.de
Image: FBH / Schurian.com