Descripción del proyecto
Una nueva generación de fuentes de luz monofotónica para lograr la informática cuántica escalable
Uno de los métodos prometedores en el ámbito de la informática cuántica consiste en el empleo de una arquitectura óptica en la que la representación de los cúbits se basa en fotones manipulados mediante componentes ópticos simples. Hasta hoy no se ha demostrado este método más que a muy pequeña escala mediante operaciones con solo unos pocos fotones individuales. Pero para procesar información cuántica significativa con estos cúbits es necesario contar con cientos de fotones. Tanto es así, que se espera que las fuentes monofotónicas produzcan fotones únicos a discreción con alta eficacia, indistinguibilidad cercana a la unidad y de forma simultánea. El proyecto financiado con fondos europeos UNITY ejecutará una investigación revolucionaria encaminada a construir una fuente monofotónica perfecta que deje atrás las contrapartidas actuales entre una alta eficacia en la obtención de fotones y la indistinguibilidad fotónica, las cuales frenan los progresos en el ámbito de la informática cuántica óptica.
Objetivo
Within optical quantum information processing, the quantum bits are encoded on single photons and their quantum mechanical properties are exploited to build new functionality. A prime example is the quantum computer, which can be built simply from single-photon sources and detectors, and simple optical components. However for scalable optical quantum computing involving hundreds of photons, the performance requirements for the single-photon source are daunting: the source must feature near-unity efficiency and near-unity indistinguishability simultaneously! Today, all known source designs suffer from inherent trade-offs between efficiency and indistinguishability and their performance is insufficient for scalable quantum computing.
The project objective is to realize a source of single indistinguishable photons with performance of ground-breaking nature. The break-through lies in the simultaneous realization of near-unity efficiency and indistinguishability, a combination which overcomes the limitations of present state-of-the-art and ventures far into the regime of scalable quantum computing.
As an expert in single-photon source engineering I find myself in a unique position to address this challenge. Since it is unknown how to design such a source, I will first establish a new understanding of the physics of the near-unity regime, where phonon-induced decoherence represents a main limitation for the indistinguishability. I will then advance state-of-the-art in optical engineering by proposing a novel design, where all physical parameters can be controlled independently. The modelling of the near-unity performance source is extremely demanding, and the analysis requires additional advances within optical simulations and open quantum systems theory. Once this is achieved, I will fabricate a prototype and test it in a multi-photon interference boson sampling experiment to unambiguously prove that scalable optical quantum information processing is indeed within reach.
Ámbito científico
Palabras clave
Programa(s)
Régimen de financiación
ERC-COG - Consolidator GrantInstitución de acogida
2800 Kongens Lyngby
Dinamarca