Unique, Practical, Scalable: Entangled Photons on a Chip. Developing practical, large-scale, precisely controllable quantum computing systems is the primary technological challenge for quantum science and technology. A relatively new device on the scene is a “quantum optical micro-comb.” These devices provide a “unique, practical and scalable framework for quantum signal and information processing.”
Researchers at Swinburne University Technology are pursuing the comb’s development in hopes of achieving ultra-secure telecommunications while advancing quantum computing.
Photo: Integrated ring resonator circuitry that is used to generate quantum optical frequency combs. Credit: Swinburne University of Technology
What is a Quantum Optical Micro-comb? Imagine the teeth of a comb. Now, replace each tooth of the comb with lasers each with a unique frequency; space them equally, and you have the basic idea of this quantum computing component. Place the comb on a silicon chip and you have a device which could be scaled easily, placed in desktop or laptop systems, or even held in your mobile device. The combs are envisioned to “enable ultrafast processes…an important component of quantum computer systems.”
