Abstract: An article of manufacture and method for making a luminescent solar concentrator or a wavelength shifting device. The article includes a light guide or optical medium with a luminescent material disposed therein or deposited on the surface. The luminescent material is formulated to absorb incoming radiation and wavelength shift that radiation to a larger wavelength for processing and use, and to minimize reabsorption of the shifted radiation by the luminescent material.

Abstract: A device including a photon emitter, a light source, and a filter with a corresponding method for producing triggered single photons and triggered pairs of polarization-entangled photons are provided. The light source delivers a pulse to a photon emitter and generates pairs of electrons and holes to emit photons. The light source includes a mechanism to tune a pulse wavelength to an excited state-absorption resonance of the photon emitter. The light source could also include a device to selectively choose a polarization to create the pairs of electrons and holes of a particular spin. A filter isolates the last and single photon. Optionally, a micro-cavity is included to direct the emitted photons and couple to one or more optical elements. When the device or the method is used to produce triggered pairs of polarization-entangled photons, it works almost the same as for the single photons, except for modifications to the way the light source excites the photon emitter and how emission filtering is performed.

Abstract: The present invention provides a device and method for producing triggered single photons and triggered pairs of polarization-entangled photons. A light source delivers a pulse to a photon emitter and generates pairs of electrons and holes to emit photons. The light source includes means to tune a pulse wavelength to an excited state-absorption resonance of the photon emitter. The light source could also include means to selectively choose a polarization to create pairs of electrons and holes of a particular spin. A filter isolates the last and single photon. Optionally a micro-cavity is included to direct the emitted photons and couple to one or more optical elements. When the device or method is used to produce triggered pairs of polarization-entangled photons it works almost the same as for the single photons, except for modifications to the way the light source excites the photon emitter and how emission filtering is performed.

Abstract: A quantum-dot photon turnstile device is capable of producing a stream of regulated and directed single pairs of photons with opposite circular polarizations. This device operates by injecting pairs of electrons and holes, alternately, into a single quantum dot, where they combine to form photons. The device will efficiently and reliably produce a directed beam of such photons at regular time intervals. It will be able to operate at high frequency and at high temperature. Such a stream of regulated photon pairs will be useful in quantum cryptography, quantum computing, low-power optical communications, as a light standard, and in many other areas of technology and fundamental science.