For over 30 years, spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) has been a workhorse for quantum optics. By splitting one “pump photon” into two daughter photons, SPDC has had a crucial role in fundamental tests of quantum theory as well as many applications in quantum information processing. From the early days, researchers have explored splitting the pump photon into three photons (as a possible resource in quantum computation, for example), but it has proven extremely difficult to realize experimentally—until now. Here, we report on an implementation of three-photon SPDC in the microwave domain.

To split one microwave photon into three daughter photons, we use a flux-pumped, superconducting parametric resonator. Our triplet source is bright, producing a propagating photon flux comparable to ordinary two-photon SPDC. We clearly see strong three-photon correlations in the output photons, even in the absence of normal two-photon correlations. The symmetry properties of these correlations allow us to “fingerprint” how the photons were created, clearly demonstrating little contamination from typical SPDC processes.

These results form the basis of an exciting new paradigm of three-photon quantum optics. One can only hope that this new paradigm will be as successful as two-photon quantum optics.