Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

The Uncertainty Principle

The Uncertainty Principle

Werner Heisenberg considered the limits of how accurately one can measure properties of an electron or other microscopic particles. He determined that there is a fundamental limit to how accurately one can measure both a particle’s position and its momentum simultaneously. The more accurate the measurement of the momentum of a particle is known, the less accurate the position at that time is known and vice versa. This is what is now called the Heisenberg uncertainty principle. He...

The Quantum-Mechanical Model of an Atom

The Quantum-Mechanical Model of an Atom

Shortly after de Broglie published his ideas that the electron in a hydrogen atom could be better thought of as being a circular standing wave instead of a particle moving in quantized circular orbits, Erwin Schrödinger extended de Broglie’s work by deriving what is now known as the Schrödinger equation. When Schrödinger applied his equation to hydrogen-like atoms, he was able to reproduce Bohr’s expression for the energy and, thus, the Rydberg formula governing hydrogen spectra.

The de Broglie Wavelength

The de Broglie Wavelength

In the macroscopic world, objects that are large enough to be seen by the naked eye follow the rules of classical physics. A billiard ball moving on a table will behave like a particle; it will continue traveling in a straight line unless it collides with another ball, or it is acted on by some other force, such as friction. The ball has a well-defined position and velocity or well-defined momentum, p = mv, which is defined by mass m and velocity v at any given moment. This is the typical...

Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Relaxation Processes

Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Relaxation Processes

In the absence of an external magnetic field, nuclear spin states are degenerate and randomly oriented. When a magnetic field is applied, the spins begin to precess and orient themselves along (lower energy) or against (higher energy) the direction of the field. At equilibrium, a slight excess population of spins exists in the lower energy state. Because the direction of the magnetic field is fixed as the z-axis, the precessing magnetic moments are randomly oriented around the z-axis.

The Pauli Exclusion Principle

The Pauli Exclusion Principle

The arrangement of electrons in the orbitals of an atom is called its electron configuration. We describe an electron configuration with a symbol that contains three pieces of information:

Bias

Bias

Bias refers to any tendency that prevents a question from being considered unprejudiced. In research, bias occurs when one outcome or answer is selected or encouraged over others in sampling or testing. Bias can occur during any research phase, including study design, data collection, analysis, and publication.
In statistics, a sampling bias is created when a sample is collected from a population, and some members of the population are not as likely to be chosen as others (remember, each member...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Integrated photonic polarization synthesizer and analyzer.

Light, science & applications·2026

Same author

Toward quantum sensing of electron beams using solid-state spins.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026

Same author

Isotropic shrinkage of patterned vacancies enables three-dimensional nanoprecise metastructures for visible light applications.

Nature photonics·2026

Same author

Mechanophore cross-linking enhances ballistic energy dissipation of polymers.

Nature·2026

Same author

Experimental observation of energy-band Riemann surface.

Science advances·2026

Same author

Three-dimensional nanophotonics with spatially modulated optical properties.

Light, science & applications·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 23, 2025

Cooling an Optically Trapped Ultracold Fermi Gas by Periodical Driving

Cooling an Optically Trapped Ultracold Fermi Gas by Periodical Driving

Published on: March 30, 2017

Biasing the quantum vacuum to control macroscopic probability distributions.

Charles Roques-Carmes¹, Yannick Salamin^1,2, Jamison Sloan¹

¹Research Laboratory of Electronics, MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA.

Science (New York, N.Y.)

|July 13, 2023

Summary

Quantum field theory enables controllable quantum randomness using vacuum-level bias fields in optical parametric oscillators (OPOs). This breakthrough allows precise probability control and sub-photon-level field sensing.

More Related Videos

In Situ Measurement of Vacuum Window Birefringence using 25Mg+ Fluorescence

In Situ Measurement of Vacuum Window Birefringence using 25Mg+ Fluorescence

Published on: June 13, 2020

Quantum State Engineering of Light with Continuous-wave Optical Parametric Oscillators

Quantum State Engineering of Light with Continuous-wave Optical Parametric Oscillators

Published on: May 30, 2014

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 23, 2025

Cooling an Optically Trapped Ultracold Fermi Gas by Periodical Driving

Cooling an Optically Trapped Ultracold Fermi Gas by Periodical Driving

Published on: March 30, 2017

In Situ Measurement of Vacuum Window Birefringence using 25Mg+ Fluorescence

In Situ Measurement of Vacuum Window Birefringence using 25Mg+ Fluorescence

Published on: June 13, 2020

Quantum State Engineering of Light with Continuous-wave Optical Parametric Oscillators

Quantum State Engineering of Light with Continuous-wave Optical Parametric Oscillators

Published on: May 30, 2014

Area of Science:

Quantum Optics
Quantum Information Science

Background:

Quantum field theory posits inherent electromagnetic field fluctuations.
Controllable probability distributions are crucial for randomness applications.
Multistable optical systems offer potential for quantum randomness generation.

Purpose of the Study:

To demonstrate a controllable source of quantum randomness using vacuum-level bias fields.
To investigate the application of this technique in an optical parametric oscillator (OPO).
To explore the potential for sub-photon-level field sensing.

Main Methods:

Injecting vacuum-level bias fields into a multistable optical system (OPO).
Utilizing bias pulses with an average of less than one photon.
Controlling the probabilities of the OPO's two output states.
Reconstructing the temporal shape of sub-photon-level fields.

Main Results:

Successfully generated controllable quantum randomness in an OPO.
Demonstrated precise control over output state probabilities using sub-photon-level fields.
Showcased the capability for reconstructing weak electromagnetic fields below the single-photon level.

Conclusions:

Vacuum-level bias fields provide a novel platform for controllable quantum randomness.
The approach enables precise control over probabilistic outcomes in quantum systems.
This work opens avenues for weak field sensing and probabilistic computing.