# C60 Fullerene as an On-Demand Single Photon Source at Room Temperature

## TL;DR

This paper shows that C60 fullerene molecules can be used as reliable single-photon emitters at room temperature, offering a practical and scalable solution for quantum technologies.

## Contribution

The novelty is using readily available C60 fullerenes as robust, room-temperature single-photon sources with high emission rates.

## Key findings

- C60 fullerenes embedded in polystyrene emit single photons on demand at room temperature.
- They have short fluorescence lifetimes and high emission rates.
- Fullerenes are easy to prepare and manipulate, making them suitable for scalable quantum technologies.

## Abstract

Single photon sources are fundamental for applications
in quantum
computing, secure communication, and sensing, as they enable the generation
of individual photons and ensure strict control over photon number
statistics. However, current single photon sources can be limited
by a lack of robustness, difficulty of integration into existing optical
or electronic devices, and high cost. In this study, we present the
use of off-the-shelf C60 fullerene molecules embedded in
polystyrene as room-temperature reliable single-photon emitters. As
our results demonstrate, these molecules exhibit on-demand single-photon
emission, with short fluorescence lifetimes and, consequently, high
emission rates. The wide availability and ease of preparation and
manipulation of fullerenes as single photon sources can pave the way
for the development of practical, economic and scalable quantum photonic
technologies.