Descripción del proyecto
Defectos en diamantes: un componente esencial para las redes cuánticas
Las redes cuánticas, que están respaldadas por las leyes de la física cuántica, auguran capacidades revolucionarias en el procesamiento de información y en el advenimiento de las comunicaciones seguras. El elemento de «hardware» esencial de una red cuántica es el nodo, que se comunica con otros nodos mediante el intercambio de «cúbits voladores». Estos cúbits móviles se desplazan a lo largo de una cadena de procesadores cuánticos que almacenan los estados de los cúbits. La propiedad de espín cuántico de los centros de vacantes de nitrógeno en los diamantes constituye un candidato prometedor para los cúbits voladores. El proyecto financiado con fondos europeos PEDESTAL abordará cuestiones esenciales que obstaculizan la ampliación de los dispositivos cuánticos basados en diamantes. Para ello, creará un prototipo de «hardware» de nodo cuántico basado en defectos del grupo IV en diamantes capaz de mantener una red cuántica multipropósito que ejecuta simultáneamente comunicaciones y computaciones cuánticas.
Objetivo
Quantum technologies promise revolutionary capabilities in processing information and transmitting with security over a network certified by the principles of quantum physics. The key hardware element of a quantum network is the ‘node’, where a stationary qubit cluster perform primitive processes and communicate with other nodes by exchanging flying qubits. The interfacing between the stationary qubit cluster and the flying qubits is realised by a special ‘broker qubit’. Today, the most competitive candidates for flying and stationary qubits are photons and diamond spins, respectively, and this opportunity is being pursued worldwide. A specific emitter in diamond, the Nitrogen Vacancy (NV), has enabled landmark demonstrations of basic quantum building blocks, but faces fundamental challenges on reaching the optical qualities required to scale up. PEDESTAL offers an efficiency boost to the NV while building on key advances in diamond technology. Our goal is to create a quantum node hardware prototype with characteristics required to sustain a multi-purpose quantum network capable of implementing simultaneous quantum communications and computing. PEDESTAL will develop a demonstrator quantum node based on diamond group-4 spins, which offer specifications outperforming others. Benchmarking against the known silicon-vacancy (SiV) centre, our workhorse will be the tin-vacancy (SnV) centre, which we have shown to have outstanding qualities satisfying the requirements for a quantum node. In parallel, we will develop to maturity the less-known but highly promising lead-vacancy (PbV) centre which can operate with more feasible conditions and develop a novel technique to control spins. Our objectives include creating multi-spin and multi-photon entangled states as resource and will complete its key objectives with the demonstration of distributed three-spin entanglement, culminating in the experimental demonstration of a high-fidelity, high-bandwidth multi-node quantum network
Ámbito científico
- natural sciencesphysical sciencesquantum physics
- natural scienceschemical sciencesinorganic chemistrypost-transition metals
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringcomputer hardwarequantum computers
- natural scienceschemical sciencesinorganic chemistrymetalloids
- natural sciencesphysical sciencestheoretical physicsparticle physicsphotons
Programa(s)
Régimen de financiación
ERC-ADG - Advanced GrantInstitución de acogida
CB2 1TN Cambridge
Reino Unido