Synopsis

A Quantum Entanglement Assembly Line

Physics 15, s135
A new experiment generates entanglement between many photons with a much higher probability than available methods, which could be a boon for quantum information applications.
Tartila/adobe.stock.com

Quantum computing and communication often rely on the entanglement of several photons together. But obtaining these multiphoton states is a bit like playing the lottery, as generating entanglement between photons only succeeds a small fraction of the time. A new experiment shows how to improve one’s odds in this quantum game of chance. The method works like an entanglement assembly line, in which entangled pairs of photons are created in successive order and combined with stored photons.

The traditional method for obtaining multiphoton entanglement requires a large set of photon sources. Each source simultaneously generates an entangled photon pair, and those photons are subsequently interfered with each other. The process is probabilistic in that each step only succeeds in producing pair entanglement, say, once in every 20 tries. The odds become exponentially worse as entanglement of more and more photons is attempted.

Christine Silberhorn from Paderborn University, Germany, and her colleagues have developed a new method that offers a relatively high success rate [1]. They use a single source that generates pairs of polarization-entangled photons in succession. After the first pair is created, one of these photons is stored in an optical loop. When the source creates a new pair (which can take several tries), one of these photons is interfered with the stored photon. If successful, this interference creates a four-photon entangled state. The process can continue—with new pairs being generated and one photon being stored—until the desired multiphoton state is reached.

With this assembly line, the researchers fabricated four-photon and six-photon entangled states with success rates that were, respectively, 9 times and 35 times better than the traditional method.

–Michael Schirber

Michael Schirber is a Corresponding Editor for Physics Magazine based in Lyon, France.

References

  1. E. Meyer-Scott et al., “Scalable generation of multiphoton entangled states by active feed-forward and multiplexing,” Phys. Rev. Lett. 129, 150501 (2022).

Subject Areas

Quantum Information

Related Articles

Improved Readout of Spin Qubits
Condensed Matter Physics

Improved Readout of Spin Qubits

Two teams demonstrate an innovative way to measure the states of spin-based qubits—a key task in quantum computing. Read More »

Evidence Found for a Majorana “Cousin”
Condensed Matter Physics

Evidence Found for a Majorana “Cousin”

Researchers report the measurement of a “poor man’s” Majorana—a nontopological version of the Majorana fermion—a finding that they hope will reinvigorate the Majorana field. Read More »

Trapped Ions Go the Distance
Atomic and Molecular Physics

Trapped Ions Go the Distance

Researchers have achieved long-distance entanglement between two calcium ions, each of which lies in a different building, showing that trapped ions could be used to create quantum networks. Read More »

More Articles