A novel approach for realizing the one-way quantum synchronization of phonons has been proposed by three theoretical physicists at RIKEN. Importantly, this method is remarkably resilient against practical challenges such as imperfections and environmental noise. Their paper, “Nonreciprocal quantum synchronization,” is published in Nature Communications.

Many devices use components that act as one-way streets, allowing particles to travel in one direction, but almost not at all in the opposite one. These so-called nonreciprocal components are widely used in microwave and light-based systems for things such as controlling signal flow and preventing reflections.

“Nonreciprocal components enable signals to travel along desired paths, whereas they are strongly attenuated in the opposite direction,” notes Franco Nori of the RIKEN Center for Quantum Computing (RQC). “This ability finds applications ranging from signal processing to invisible cloaking.”