Multi-purpose photonic chip paves the way to programmable quantum processors

December 13, 2011

University of Bristol researchers have demonstrated quantum entanglement on a silicon chip, allowing for eventual development of a practical quantum computer.

The chip performs several experiments ordinarily carried out on a large optical bench. The chip consists of a network of tiny photonic waveguides (channels) that guide, manipulate and interact single photons. Using eight reconfigurable electrodes embedded in the circuit, photon pairs can be manipulated and entangled, producing any possible entangled state of two photons or any mixed state of one photon.

Ref.: P. J. Shadbolt, et al., Generating, manipulating and measuring entanglement and mixture with a reconfigurable photonic circuit, Nature Photonics, 2011; [DOI:10.1038/nphoton.2011.283]