Photonic chip is key to 'nurturing' quantum computers
A team from Bristol's Quantum Engineering labs has shown how to protect
qubits from errors using photons in a silicon chip.

Date:
September 29, 2021
Source:
University of Bristol
Summary:
Quantum computers are gaining pace. They promise to provide
exponentially more computing power for certain very tricky
problems. They do this by exploiting the peculiar behaviour of
quantum particles, such as photons of light. A team has now shown
how to protect qubits from errors using photons in a silicon chip.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
A team of researchers from Bristol's Quantum Engineering and Technology
Labs (QETLabs) has shown how to protect qubits from errors using photons
in a silicon chip.


========================================================================== Quantum computers are gaining pace. They promise to provide exponentially
more computing power for certain very tricky problems. They do this by exploiting the peculiar behaviour of quantum particles, such as photons
of light.

However, quantum states of particles are very fragile. The quantum bits,
or qubits, that underpin quantum computing pick up errors very easily
and are damaged by the environment of the everyday world. Fortunately,
we know in principle how to correct for these errors.

Quantum error correcting codes are a method to protect, or to nurture,
qubits, by embedding them in a more robust entangled state of many
particles. Now a team led by researchers at Bristol's Quantum Engineering
and Technology Laboratories (QETLabs) has demonstrated this using a
quantum photonic chip.

The team showed how large states of entangled photons can contain
individual logical qubits and protect them from the harmful effects of
the classical world. The Bristol-led team included researchers from DTU
in Copenhagen who fabricated the chip.

Dr Caterina Vigliar, first author on the work, said: "The chip is
really versatile. It can be programmed to deliver different kinds
of entangled states called graphs. Each graph protects logical
quantum bits of information from different environmental effects."
Anthony Laing, co-Director of QETLabs, and an author on the work
said: "Finding ways to efficiently deliver large numbers of error
protected qubits is key to one day delivering quantum computers." ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Bristol. Note: Content
may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Caterina Vigliar, Stefano Paesani, Yunhong Ding, Jeremy C. Adcock,
Jianwei Wang, Sam Morley-Short, Davide Bacco, Leif K. Oxenlo/we,
Mark G.

Thompson, John G. Rarity, Anthony Laing. Error-protected
qubits in a silicon photonic chip. Nature Physics, 2021; DOI:
10.1038/s41567-021- 01333-w ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/09/210929101843.htm

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