Technion-Israel Institute of Technology researchers have designed a blueprint for a “photonic machine gun” that could fire out 12 qubits on demand.

It uses a quantum dot (nanoscale crystal within a semiconducting device) chilled to a low temperature. When a short, strong pulse of light hits the dot, one of the electrons inside is raised to an excited state. As it “relaxes” back to its resting energy state it throws out a photon.