Researchers Demonstrate Scalable Photonic Approach to Quantum Computing

Insider Brief

• A study by Hebrew University of Jerusalem researchers demonstrates a scalable, resource-efficient approach to quantum computation using high-dimensional spatial encoding to generate large cluster states.
• The researchers achieved the generation of cluster states with over nine qubits at 100 Hz by encoding multiple qubits within each photon, addressing the exponential decrease in detection probabilities typically faced in quantum computing.
• Their method enables instantaneous feedforward between qubits within the same photon, significantly reducing computation time and advancing the development of faster, fault-tolerant quantum computers.

PRESS RELEASE — A new study, published in Nature Photonics, by Prof. Yaron Bromberg and Dr. Ohad Lib from the Racah Institute of Physics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has made significant strides in advancing quantum computing through their research on photonic-measurement-based quantum computation.

This method holds the potential to overcome some of the challenging obstacles in quantum computation, offering a more scalable and resource-efficient solution by using high-dimensional spatial encoding to generate large cluster states.

Quantum computers are facing a major roadblock in producing large cluster states necessary for computations. The standard approach sees detection probabilities decreasing exponentially as the number of photons increases. Prof. Bromberg and Dr. Lib’s study addresses this issue by encoding multiple qubits within each photon through spatial encoding. This innovative approach has successfully generated cluster states with over nine qubits at a frequency of 100 Hz, a remarkable achievement in the field.

Additionally, the researchers demonstrated that this method substantially reduces computation time by enabling instantaneous feedforward between qubits encoded within the same photon. This breakthrough opens the door to more resource-efficient quantum computations, potentially leading to faster, fault-tolerant quantum computers capable of handling complex problems.

Prof. Bromberg commented, “Our results show that using high-dimensional encoding not only overcomes previous scalability barriers but also offers a practical and efficient approach to quantum computing. This represents a major leap forward.”

Dr. Lib added, “By tackling both scalability and computation duration issues, we’ve paved a new way forward for measurement-based quantum computation. The future of quantum technology just became a little closer.”

This study marks an important milestone in the ongoing pursuit of realizing the full potential of quantum computing through photonics.

 The research paper titled “Resource-efficient photonic quantum computation with high-dimensional cluster states” is now available at Nature Photonics and can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1038/s41566-024-01524-w.