The Nobel prize in Physics 2022 was awarded for experiments with entangled photons, establishing the violation of Bell inequalities. This has lead to major revolutions in quantum science, giving a leap in research in computing and telecommunication area. In the Nobel prize winning experiment (see figure above), Acousto-Optics (AO) played a major role.

AO devices were used to switch the photons from one polarizer to another in order to determine their respective polarization state. AO technology was a good candidate due to its ability of deflecting the photons within tenths of ns.

We have seen that Quantum physics is involved in many applications: computing, sensing, communication and many others. Let’s take Quantum computing for example where acousto-optic deflectors (AOD) are used to direct laser beams at individual qubits in the ion chain.

In Atom laser cooling, the frequency of the counter propagating beams are adjusted thanks to acousto-optic modulators (AOM/AOFS). The output frequency shifted photons can then have a mechanical effect on the atoms and therefore they  can be slowed  and trapped. This process provides a sample that can be used for quantum sensing/computing.

AA Opto-electronics has selected a few products from its catalogue list that are commonly used in Quantum technologies, this includes the RF drivers/amplifiers. The list is of course non exhaustive and customized demand are most welcome.

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