Graphene-based intelligent quantum sensor can simultaneously detect the intensity, polarization and wavelength of light

A team of researchers from Yale University, The University of Texas at Dallas and the National Institute for Materials Science in Tsukuba, Japan, has built a graphene-based intelligent sensor that can simultaneously detect the intensity, polarization and wavelength of light, tapping into the quantum properties of electrons. The team estimates this breakthrough could help advance the fields of astronomy, health care, and remote sensing.

The researchers used twisted double bilayer graphene (TDBG)—that is, two atomic layers of natural stacked carbon atoms given a slight rotational twist—to build their sensing device. The twist reportedly reduces the crystal symmetry, and materials with atomic structures that are less symmetrical—in many cases—promise some intriguing physical properties that aren’t found in those with greater symmetry.