The new frontier of photonics at the University of Birmingham also reveals the first image of the shape of a photon

Recent research conducted by the University of Birmingham, and published in “
Physical Review Letters
“, marks a significant advance in the understanding of photons, individual particles of light, and their interactions with atoms and molecules, while also proposing an innovative model to describe them with unprecedented precision.

The analysis conducted by the Birmingham team grouped the infinite possibilities of existence and propagation of photons into distinct sets, allowing to model not only the interactions between the photon and the emitter, but also the way in which the energy of this interaction travels in the surrounding environment. This model made it possible for the first time to visualize what a photon looks likeovercoming a challenge that has occupied quantum physicists for decades.

Dr. Benjamin Yuen, first author of the study and a member of the university’s School of Physics and Astronomy, explained how their computational approach transformed a seemingly insoluble problem into something computable, managing to produce an image of a photon, a result never achieved before in physics.

The co-author, Professor Angela Demetriadou of the University of Birmingham said: “The geometry and optical properties of the environment have profound consequences on how photons are emitted, defining their shape, color and even their probability of existence.”

Dr. Benjamin Yuen added: “This work helps us increase our understanding of the energy exchange between light and matter and, secondarily, better understand how light radiates into its near and distant surroundings. Much of this information was previously just regarded as ‘noise’, but now we can understand and use it. By understanding this, we lay the foundation for being able to engineer light-matter interactions for future applications, such as better sensors, more efficient photovoltaic cells or quantum computing.”

The research opens new perspectives for quantum physics and materials science, providing the tools to precisely define how photons interact with matter and other elements in the environment. This defining capability paves the way for the design of new nanophotonic technologies that could revolutionize our ability to communicate securely, detect pathogens, or control chemical reactions at the molecular level.