Paving the way for 'uncrackable' codes
Source: BBC
The heart of a new light-emitting diode (LED) developed in Cambridge, UK, can be controlled so precisely that it emits just one single photon of light each time it is switched on. The device could be a key component in quantum cryptography, a code-making technology which, it is hoped, will be uncrackable.
The ability to send single packets of light already exists but this is the first time a device has been built without using lasers.
Its designers say they are optimistic that the device could be produced cheaply and quickly in industrial quantities.
