HOME ｜EXHIBITION ｜STAGE ｜ REPORT
5 The Wonderful Nature of Photons and Photonic Quantum Sensing: Actual Experience of Entanglement of Two Photons
The Wonderful Nature of Photons and Photonic Quantum Sensing
The world is filled with light. Light from lights illuminating a room, light from machines projecting images, sunlight streaming in through a window, moonlight in the night sky.... The smallest unit of all light is the “photon”. If you look at your surroundings on a quantum scale, you will find countless photons flying around you even today. Studying the behavior of photons has revealed surprising phenomena that have shaken the assumptions we have come to believe about our world. In this exhibit, visitors will be able to experience a real apparatus in which these phenomena occur. You can also learn about “photonic sensing”, a new technology that utilizes such properties of photons.
The exhibition is guided by Mitsuko, a character based on the protagonist of “The Trial of the Photon” written by Dr. Shinichiro Tomonaga.
ART
Character Design: Mitsuko
Masayuki Inoue (Pantograph)
Illustration: Neki Inc.
2025
Mitsuko is a character based on Mitsuko Namino from The Trial of the Photon (Mitsuko/Koshi no Saiban) by Shinichiro Tomonaga. Mitsuko was designed by Masayuki Inoue, a member of the artist unit Pantograph, which specializes in three-dimensional modeling and stop-motion animation. With a look that hints at mid-century modern design, Mitsuko offers clear and engaging explanations of the exhibition’s central themes, including quantum entangled photons, two-photon quantum interference, and the violation of Bell’s inequality.
Experiment!: The Strange World of Twin Photons
In the world of photons, some photons are born at the same time. They are “twins.” These photons in a pair share a special relationship, known as “quantum entanglement.” They act in very strange ways that we can hardly believe based on our everyday common sense.
There are three instruments in the venue. The first instrument actually creates the twin photons.
Next, we have two instruments for experiments. Using these two instruments, we can test and check on the spot whether strange things are really happening. Each of the instruments is explained in more detail in the nearby videos.
Let’s look at each of the three instruments and see for ourselves how the twin photons behave.
Three instruments to try out
- Quantum Entanglement Generator
- Instrument for the “Two-Photon Quantum Interference” Experiment
- Instrument for actual Verification of the Violation of Bell’s Inequality
Future: Let’s move on! A Future Changed by Photon Pairs
Attempts are now underway to utilize the mysterious behavior of photon pairs to develop a new technology called “photon quantum sensing.” This new technology enables us to measure things that were previously unmeasurable and observe phenomena that were once thought to be unobservable. In this way, our view of nature grows ever wider.
Here, we’ll explain two future novel devices that make use of quantum entanglement and two-photon quantum interference.
How might twin photons transform our everyday lives in the future?
Cooperation｜Shimadzu Corporation and Santec Holdings Corporation
Two instruments to try out
- Quantum Optical Coherence Tomography (Q-OCT)
- Quantum Infrared Spectrometert
