Periodic Reporting for period 1 - AppQInfo (Applications and Hardware for Photonic Quantum Information Processing)
Période du rapport: 2021-03-01 au 2023-02-28
Funded under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the “AppQInfo” project No. 956071 will train early-stage researchers in state-of-the-art integrated quantum photonics, one of five critical key enabling technologies for Europe. Using photonic integrated circuits to control photonic quantum states, integrated photonics allows the generation, manipulation and readout of photonic quantum states in a highly controlled manner. It dramatically increases computation speed and efficiency compared to electronics circuits. Young researchers work on 15 interdisciplinary projects that will focus on developing feasible long-distance quantum communications from urban-scale networks to satellite-based systems; studying quantum transport properties and quantum Fourier transforms in photonic circuits; building all-optical artificial neural networks and applying them for quantum simulations; and developing sources and detectors of multiphoton quantum states and polaritonic logic gates.
Quantum Information Processing enriches information technology by offering higher quality, speed and unconditional security, not precedented in classical technologies. In particular, it embraces quantum communication and quantum simulations, the key applications that are at the focus of this proposal, recognised as the first two pillars of the Quantum Flagship, within H2020 framework programme of the European Union. AppQInfo will train ESRs to develop QIP techniques using state-of-the-art integrated quantum photonics, one of five Key Enabling Technologies for European industry. The development of these applications will be supported by the advancement of hardware platforms realized in collaboration with top European industrial partners. Staying at the front line of the second quantum revolution will allow the European Union to timely compete with global quantum initiatives such as Quantum Alliance Initiative in the US and National Quantum Programme of China which started in 2018. It will also address the compelling challenges such as cybersecurity of all EU citizens and resource effectiveness of industrial processes. This will be achieved through extensive high-level training of well-qualified ESRs in theory, experiment and hands-on interdisciplinary research as well as exposing them to multiple environments through secondments in industry, schools and training, supplemented by complementary skills required by the emerging quantum job market. All this will enable an acceleration of quantum technology adoption, will increase European innovation capacity and will ensure the knowledge transfer between disciplines, sectors and countries.
To achieve this goal, within the AppQInfo project we are going to explore the challenge of building feasible longdistance quantum communications for distances ranging from tens of kilometres to satellite-based systems using various data encoding. We will also study quantum photonic circuits towards their quantum transport properties and quantum transforms they implement. These platforms will be used for machine learning applications, such as building all-optical artificial neural networks, and applying them for quantum simulations. In parallel, we will develop
enabling technologies of sources and detectors of multiphoton quantum states and polaritonic logic gates. All this will be achieved by our innovative, carefully designed training programme, which will embrace scientific schools, complementary skill workshops, shared online courses, intersectoral, globally-spanned secondments, creative outreach and proactive dissemination activities.
Quantum Information Processing enriches information technology by offering higher quality, speed and unconditional security, not precedented in classical technologies. In particular, it embraces quantum communication and quantum simulations, the key applications that are at the focus of this proposal, recognised as the first two pillars of the Quantum Flagship, within H2020 framework programme of the European Union. AppQInfo will train ESRs to develop QIP techniques using state-of-the-art integrated quantum photonics, one of five Key Enabling Technologies for European industry. The development of these applications will be supported by the advancement of hardware platforms realized in collaboration with top European industrial partners. Staying at the front line of the second quantum revolution will allow the European Union to timely compete with global quantum initiatives such as Quantum Alliance Initiative in the US and National Quantum Programme of China which started in 2018. It will also address the compelling challenges such as cybersecurity of all EU citizens and resource effectiveness of industrial processes. This will be achieved through extensive high-level training of well-qualified ESRs in theory, experiment and hands-on interdisciplinary research as well as exposing them to multiple environments through secondments in industry, schools and training, supplemented by complementary skills required by the emerging quantum job market. All this will enable an acceleration of quantum technology adoption, will increase European innovation capacity and will ensure the knowledge transfer between disciplines, sectors and countries.
To achieve this goal, within the AppQInfo project we are going to explore the challenge of building feasible longdistance quantum communications for distances ranging from tens of kilometres to satellite-based systems using various data encoding. We will also study quantum photonic circuits towards their quantum transport properties and quantum transforms they implement. These platforms will be used for machine learning applications, such as building all-optical artificial neural networks, and applying them for quantum simulations. In parallel, we will develop
enabling technologies of sources and detectors of multiphoton quantum states and polaritonic logic gates. All this will be achieved by our innovative, carefully designed training programme, which will embrace scientific schools, complementary skill workshops, shared online courses, intersectoral, globally-spanned secondments, creative outreach and proactive dissemination activities.
We develop three main fields, grouped into Work Packages (WPs): 1. Distributed Quantum Protocols; 2. Quantum-Enhanced Processing; 3. Applications and Hardware for Future Photonic Quantum Technologies. Each set of tasks consists of individual projects and involves 5 ESRs.
During the first reporting period in WP1, ESR1 has been working on the theory of new protocols for distributing entangled states while ESR2 has been developing an experimental platform to show advantage of such protocols. ESR3 has been involved in the project of free-space quantum communication and inter-modal QKD. ESR4 focused on violation of Bell inequalities for time-bin entanglement. ESR5 studied quantum finite transforms.
Within WP2, ESR6 has been assessing quantum-dot sources for quantum cryptography tasks. ESR7 has been working on quantum simulations for materials science. ESR8 has proposed a new boson sampling experiment and ESR10 has proposed a new boson sampler architecture. ESR9 focused on the exciton-polariton platform for computing applications.
Finally, in the scope of WP3, ESR11 and ESR13 studied the possibilities of experimental quantum-photonic machine learning. ESR12 worked on experimental quantum imaging techniques while ESR14 has been researching the capacity of the exciton-polariton platforms for universal photonic information processing. ESR15 has been working on multi-photon detection.
Up to date, the project resulted in 5 scientific publications in high-profile peer-reviewed journals: Nature Photonics (2 publications, including 1 with accompanying open data set), Nature (1 publication), Annalen der Physik (1 publication) and Physical Review A (1 publication) and 1 conference paper.
Within the project we have already organized 5 events: a Kick-off meeting, a summer school, a shared thought training and two complementary skills trainings. Further events are planned for 2023 and 2024.
During the first reporting period in WP1, ESR1 has been working on the theory of new protocols for distributing entangled states while ESR2 has been developing an experimental platform to show advantage of such protocols. ESR3 has been involved in the project of free-space quantum communication and inter-modal QKD. ESR4 focused on violation of Bell inequalities for time-bin entanglement. ESR5 studied quantum finite transforms.
Within WP2, ESR6 has been assessing quantum-dot sources for quantum cryptography tasks. ESR7 has been working on quantum simulations for materials science. ESR8 has proposed a new boson sampling experiment and ESR10 has proposed a new boson sampler architecture. ESR9 focused on the exciton-polariton platform for computing applications.
Finally, in the scope of WP3, ESR11 and ESR13 studied the possibilities of experimental quantum-photonic machine learning. ESR12 worked on experimental quantum imaging techniques while ESR14 has been researching the capacity of the exciton-polariton platforms for universal photonic information processing. ESR15 has been working on multi-photon detection.
Up to date, the project resulted in 5 scientific publications in high-profile peer-reviewed journals: Nature Photonics (2 publications, including 1 with accompanying open data set), Nature (1 publication), Annalen der Physik (1 publication) and Physical Review A (1 publication) and 1 conference paper.
Within the project we have already organized 5 events: a Kick-off meeting, a summer school, a shared thought training and two complementary skills trainings. Further events are planned for 2023 and 2024.
The goal of AppQInfo is to train a top-class cohort of Early Stage Researchers (ESRs), that will become the future R&D staff within the area of photonic Quantum Information Processing (pQIP). We will create and consolidate links between strategic industry and leading academic partners by means of common engagement in teaching processes that will result in the creation of new technologies with immediate applications of high societal and economic impact in quantum communication and quantum simulations. To this end, we will take a collaborative long-term interdisciplinary and intersectoral approach, focused on feasible, resource-efficient and low-cost quantumenhanced solutions. AppQInfo consists of a well-balanced consortium of academic and non-academic partners. It will offer research and structured training network opportunities to enable the next-generation of researchers to uptake the challenge of bringing pQIP to everyday life, throughout European society and industry.