Superconducting circuit links smaller photon groups into larger entangled states
Quantum computers, computer systems that leverage the laws of quantum mechanics, store and process information using qubits (i.e., quantum bits). In many quantum computers, qubits are linked via entanglement, a quantum mechanical effect that connects particles in such a way that their shared state cannot be described as separate, independent states.
Superconducting circuits have enabled researchers at Tsinghua University and Hefei National Laboratory to merge smaller entangled groups of microwave photons into larger, adjustable graph states. These microwave photons, which are packets of energy that constitute microwave radiation, are the building blocks for the entangled states.
The team's method, detailed in a paper published in Nature Physics, is deterministic and programmable, unlike conventional fusion techniques that are probabilistic and often require multiple attempts or extra equipment. By utilizing quantum non-demolition measurements, the team performed a fusion operation to connect smaller entangled states, ultimately creating larger graph states.
This approach allowed the team to establish genuine multipartite entanglement across 13 photonic qubits, meaning the entanglement was present throughout the entire group rather than confined to smaller, separate groups. The researchers' method provides a practical route to assembling larger, reconfigurable photonic graph states, which could be crucial for future measurement-based quantum computing, quantum networking, and potentially quantum error-correction schemes.
This advancement in photonic graph state generation could contribute to the development of more powerful and sophisticated quantum computers and long-distance quantum communication networks.
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