Researchers at Columbia Engineering report today that
they have developed the first nanomaterial that demonstrates
“photon avalanching,” a process that is unrivaled in its
combination of extreme nonlinear optical behavior and efficiency.
The realization of photon avalanching in nanoparticle form opens up
a host of sought-after applications, from real-time
super-resolution optical microscopy, precise temperature and
environmental sensing, and infrared light detection, to optical
analog-to-digital conversion and quantum sensing.