This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Quantum photonics could be a pivotal part of future quantum technology if the right materials can be created, a new review paper has found. Photonics offers an approach to developing quantum technology using light.
The authors believe a programmable photonic platform could enable technologies such as quantum neural networks and distributed quantum computing. Many photonic components already exist and can be integrated onto a single silicon chip. The challenge is to put them together in a way that can be manipulated efficiently.
Today's technology is mostly fixed once manufactured. The review was carried out by scientists from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Transformative Meta-Optical Systems (TMOS), led by director Dragomir Neshev. "Programmable quantum photonic systems are an important future development for the center," said Neshev, who is also with the Department of Electronic Materials Engineering.
"We have made strong contributions, and it is important for us to merge these strengths." The review is published in Nature Photonics. Its authors are Igor Aharonovich of the University of Technology Sydney, Ken Crozier of the University of Melbourne and Neshev. The authors envision a new generation of programmable quantum devices, in contrast to widespread devices that use a static quantum property, such as lasers and transistors.
This shift is known as the second quantum revolution. A number of technological platforms are competing for parts of the future quantum market. The authors point out that photonics offers advantages because photons have low decoherence and can carry information encoded in multidimensional quantum states.
"Programmable quantum circuitry will play a pivotal role in transitioning quantum optics from proof-of-concept demonstrations to robust technological solutions for the second quantum revolution," they said. "Nonetheless, a missing link for the goal of programmable quantum photonics remains: multifunctionality. For many applications, one needs a system that can perform multiple functions, which requires multiple components to be reconfigured simultaneously.
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