Scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have successfully developed a chip that integrates multiple quantum photonic functions, paving the way for a scalable quantum internet. The breakthrough demonstrates broadband entangled qubits compatible with fiber-optic networks, bringing us closer to realizing a quantum internet.
Researchers created a device on a single chip that combines key quantum photonic capabilities, enabling direct generation of broadband polarization entanglement. This enables more complex and powerful information encoding, allowing for the creation of hyperentangled qubits. The team’s design uses microring resonators and polarization splitter-rotators to generate entangled photon pairs.
The chip demonstrated record-breaking channel performance, with over 116 distinct pairs of channels for transmission. More than 100 channels had high fidelity, a “record number.” This technology leverages existing fiber-optic hardware, eliminating the need for new infrastructure and reducing costs.
To encode information on photons across a wide spectrum of wavelengths, the team uses broadband polarization entanglement, which utilizes the direction of a light wave’s vibration. This enables the transmission of qubits over existing fiber-optic networks, paving the way for a more stable and secure quantum internet.
While generating and encoding qubits remains expensive and time-consuming, integrated quantum photonics like the ORNL chip could help overcome this obstacle. The team’s design allows for direct generation of entangled photons, eliminating the need to align specialized tabletop components.
The development of this technology is an essential step towards creating a quantum internet that anyone can use. By leveraging existing infrastructure and reducing costs, researchers aim to make this vision a reality.
Source: https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-build-first-all-in-one-chip-for-quantum-internet