# CCNY physicists convert microwave signals to light in CrSBr crystal

_Published Thursday, September 17, 2026 at 6:08 PM EDT · Science · Latest · Tier 2 — Notable_

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Physicists at The City College of New York demonstrated microwave-to-optical transduction using magnon-exciton coupling in chromium sulfide bromide, according to a Nature Materials paper led by Vinod M. Menon's Laboratory for Nano and Micro Photonics. Microwave-driven magnons in the layered magnetic semiconductor shift exciton energies, so reflected laser light carries a coherent optical signal that tracks the microwave drive.

The conversion operated across about 300 megahertz and could be tuned with a magnetic field. The team observed the effect in a bulk crystal without an optical or microwave resonator. Researchers present CrSBr as a materials platform for future interfaces between microwave quantum processors and optical fiber. Transferring individual quantum states will require substantial efficiency gains and careful control of added noise.

## Sources

- [Phys.org](https://phys.org/news/2026-09-bridge-quantum-networks-physicists-microwaves.html)

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Canonical: https://techandbusiness.org/newswire/NrNA1HqRcHYrtHJZH8t9ga
Published: 2026-09-17T22:08:02.533Z
Story chronology: 2026-09-17T20:30:01.000Z
Retrieved: 2026-09-19T01:59:51.272Z
Publisher: Tech & Business (techandbusiness.org)