New method fills critical need to measure large-scale quantum correlation of single photons
For the first time, researchers have demonstrated a way to map and measure large-scale photonic quantum correlation with single-photon sensitivity. The ability to measure thousands of instances of quantum correlation is critical for making photon-based quantum computing practical.
In Optica, The Optical Society’s journal for high impact research, a multi-institutional group of researchers reports the new measurement technique, which is called correlation on spatially-mapped photon-level image (COSPLI). They also developed a way to detect signals from single photons and their correlations in tens of millions of images.
“COSPLI has the potential to become a versatile solution for performing quantum particle measurements in large-scale photonic quantum computers,” said the research team leader Xian-Min Jin, from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China. “This unique approach would also be useful for quantum simulation, quantum communication, quantum sensing and single-photon biomedical imaging.”
Interacting photons
Quantum computing technology promises to be significantly faster than traditional computing, which reads and writes data encoded as bits that are either a zero or one. Instead of bits, quantum computing uses qubits that can be in two states at the same time and will interact, or correlate, with each other. These qubits, which can be an electron or photon, allow many processes to be performed simultaneously.
One important challenge in the development of quantum computers is finding a way to measure and manipulate the thousands of qubits needed to process extremely large data sets. For photon-based methods, the number of qubits can be increased without using more photons by increasing the number of modes encoded in photonic degrees of freedom— such as polarization, frequency, time and location — measured for each photon. This allows each photon to exhibit more than two modes, or states, simultaneously. The researchers previously used this approach to fabricate the world’s largest photonic quantum chips, which could possess a state space equivalent to thousands of qubits.
However, incorporating the new photonic quantum chips into a quantum computer requires measuring all the modes and their photonic correlations at a single-photon level. Until now, the only way to accomplish this would be to use one single-photon detector for each mode exhibited by each photon. This would require thousands of single-photon detectors and cost around 12 million dollars for a single computer.
“It is economically unfeasible and technically challenging to address thousands of modes simultaneously with single-photon detectors,” said Jin. “This problem represents a decisive bottleneck to realizing a large-scale photonic quantum computer.”
Single-photon sensitivity
Although commercially available CCD cameras are sensitive to single photons and much cheaper than single-photon detectors, the signals from individual photons are often obscured by large amounts of noise. After two years of work, the researchers developed methods for suppressing the noise so that single photons could be detected with each pixel of a CCD camera.
The other challenge was to determine a single photon’s polarization, frequency, time and location, each of which requires a different measurement technique. With COSPLI, the photonic correlations from other modes are all mapped onto the spatial mode, which allows correlations of all the modes to be measured with the CCD camera.
To demonstrate COSPLI, the researchers used their approach to measure the joint spectra of correlated photons in ten million image frames. The reconstructed spectra agreed well with theoretical calculations, thus demonstrating the reliability of the measurement and mapping method as well as the single-photon detection. The researchers are now working to improve the imaging speed of the system from tens to millions of frames per second.
“We know it is very hard to build a practical quantum computer, and it isn’t clear yet which implementation will be the best,” said Jin. “This work adds confidence that a quantum computer based on photons may be a practical route forward.”
Learn more: Researchers Move Closer to Practical Photonic Quantum Computing
The Latest on: Photonic quantum computing
[google_news title=”” keyword=”photonic quantum computing” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Photonic quantum computing
- 3 Quantum Computing Stocks That Could Be Multibaggers in the Making: April Editionon April 27, 2024 at 11:00 am
InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips Quantum computing technology and applications across sectors are advancing ...
- Demonstration of heralded three-photon entanglement on a photonic chipon April 25, 2024 at 3:30 am
Photonic quantum computers are computational tools that leverage quantum physics and utilize particles of light (i.e., photons) as units of information processing. These computers could eventually ...
- World’s only quantum-gas microscope imaging strontium’s individual atomson April 23, 2024 at 4:40 am
Spanish researchers develop the world's first quantum-gas microscope that captures images of individual atoms of strontium quantum gases.
- Leveraging Cryogenics and Photonics for Quantum Computingon April 22, 2024 at 4:59 pm
While sureCore focuses on cryogenic semiconductor design, Quantum Computing works on photonics-based technologies.
- IDTechEx Release New Global Silicon Photonics and Photonic Integrated Circuits Market Reporton April 19, 2024 at 6:52 am
BOSTON, April 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- IDTechEx Research, a trusted provider of independent market intelligence, announces the availability of a new report, " Silicon Photonics and Photonic Integrated ...
- India's Quantum connects, from 1924on April 18, 2024 at 6:26 pm
Explore India's significant contributions to quantum computing, from S N Bose's foundational work in 1924 to the establishment of the National Quantum Mission in 2023. Discover how quantum computing ...
- Using sound waves for photonic machine learning: Study lays foundation for reconfigurable neuromorphic building blockson April 16, 2024 at 2:00 am
Optical neural networks may provide the high-speed and large-capacity solution necessary to tackle challenging computing tasks. However, tapping their full potential will require further advances. One ...
- The First Universal, Programmable And Multifunctional Photonic Chipon April 15, 2024 at 10:22 pm
The photonic chip enhances 5G, AI, and more, developed by researchers and already impacting telecommunications and tech industries.
- Research team manufactures the first universal, programmable and multifunctional photonic chipon April 15, 2024 at 9:32 am
A team from the Photonics Research Laboratory (PRL)-iTEAM of the Universitat Politècnica de València and the company iPRONICS have designed and manufactured a revolutionary chip for the ...
- Buy Rating Affirmed for Quantum Computing Inc. on Strong Growth Prospects and Strategic Acquisitionson April 15, 2024 at 2:16 am
Analyst Edward Woo of Ascendiant maintained a Buy rating on Quantum Computing (QUBT – Research Report), with a price target of $8.25.
via Bing News