Periodic Reporting for period 2 - VLS-QPP (Very-Large-Scale Quantum Photonic Processing)
Reporting period: 2019-04-01 to 2020-03-31
Advancing the field to computationally hard problems requires a new generation of ‘quantum photonic processor’ that efficiently integrates nonclassical light generation, high-fidelity mode transformations and nonlinear photon-photon interactions. As quantum photonic technology advances new applications areas must be discovered where near-term quantum processors will likely have impact. This symbiotic development of hardware and algorithms is a central tenet of this program. ‘Very-Large-Scale Quantum Photonic Processors’ develops the next generation of quantum optical technology using the platform of silicon photonics. Silicon photonics leverages large-scale silicon manufacturing and CMOS technology to develop micron-scale photonic structures at an unprecedented component density and scale.
Applying silicon photonic technology to the quantum regime, and at a scale where classical computers can no longer keep pace, requires breakthroughs in quantum photonic engineering. Very-Large-Scale Quantum Photonic Processors addresses this challenge on two fronts: First, by leveraging state-of-the-art low-loss silicon photonics and advances in large-scale packaging and control, quantum photonic processors will be scaled-up to tackle problems at the limit of what is classically simulable. Second, by integrating solid-state quantum emitters with silicon photonics a scalable path is put-forth to enable the deterministic generation of photons and strong photon-photon interactions. In concert, a new arsenal of quantum algorithms will be developed specifically for implementation on this new generation of quantum photonic processors, targeting the key application areas of machine learning and quantum simulation.