Researchers working in the EU-funded PHOQUSING project are developing a hybrid computational system based on cutting-edge integrated photonics that combines classical and quantum processes.
Project partner QuiX Quantum in the Netherlands has created the largest quantum photonic processor compatible with quantum dots. The processor is the central component of the quantum sampling machine, a near-term quantum computing device able to show a quantum advantage.
The processor the research team developed is a “record-size” 20-mode silicon nitride photonic chip that is optimized for use at the near-infrared wavelength range, operating at a wavelength of 925 nanometers. According to a webinar video presenting the processor, the 20 input modes with 190 unit cells and 380 tunable elements likely make this processor the most complex photonic chip available today. Besides the large number of modes, key features of the quantum photonic processor include low optical losses (of 2.9 decibels per mode) and high fidelity (99.5 % for permutation matrices and 97.4 % for Haar-random matrices). The turnkey processor also enables high-visibility quantum interference (98 %).
