Ultrathin materials could make quantum light circuits programmable
Quantum photonics could be a pivotal part of future quantum technology if the right materials can be created, a new review paper has found.
A new review paper suggests that ultrathin materials could make quantum light circuits programmable. Photonics could play a key part in developing future quantum technology. Scientists believe a programmable photonic platform could enable advanced technologies such as quantum neural networks and distributed quantum computing. While many photonic components already exist, integrating them efficiently is challenging.
The review, led by Dragomir Neshev from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Transformative Meta-Optical Systems, details the key elements needed for programmable quantum photonics. One crucial component is tunable quantum light sources that can create entangled photons and control various properties like frequency, amplitude, phase, and polarization.
Researchers are exploring single-photon sources, particularly van der Waals crystals, which can be tuned by adjusting their layered structure. However, these crystals currently fall short compared to other leading sources in terms of brightness, photon purity, and coherence. A second critical element is dynamic modulation of components, which will enable fast, efficient, and scalable switching.
2D materials are seen as promising candidates to fulfill these requirements, offering tunable optical properties and various functionalities such as bandgap engineering, optoelectronic, and nonlinear functionalities. The review highlights that while ultrathin materials offer great potential, they currently lack the photon sources with desired brightness, purity, and coherence, and no material platform yet meets all the essential criteria for fast, efficient, and scalable switching in programmable quantum photonics.
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