Simulations show a single photon can simultaneously excite two atoms

(Phys.org)--A small team of researchers with affiliations to institutions in Italy, Japan and the U.S. has created a simulation that suggests that it should be possible for a single photon to simultaneously excite two atoms. In their paper published in the open access journal Physical Review Letters, the team describes the process leading to their simulation, what it showed and why they believe their findings have applications in quantum computers.