Scientists at the Weizmann Institute in Israel recently developed the world’s first photonic routing device. The photonic routing device is a single-atom based quantum device that can implement single-photon routing functionality. This major achievement in the "Science" magazine signals that humanity has taken a step forward in the difficulties faced in building a quantum computer.
The diagram shows that the orange single atom at the center positions the yellow photons in different directions.
The world's first photonic routing device.
The heart of the device is an atom that can switch between the two states. The state that is set is that only a single photon is sent from the right or left side of the fiber, and accordingly the atoms in the center of the device will reflect or transmit the next incoming photon. For example, a photon coming from the right rushes to the left along its path, while a photon coming from the left is reflected back, causing the atom in the center to flip. In the exact opposite case, the atoms let the photons from the left move normally. Once the photons from the right flowed backwards, the atoms flipped back quickly. This atom-based "switch" can be operated with only a single photon without any additional conditions.
"In a sense, this optical device is similar to an electronic transistor that can control current switching," said Dr. Barak Dayan, head of the Quantum Optics Group at the Weizmann Institute. Photon is not only a unit of information flow. It also has control device capabilities.
The Physicist Organization Network reported on July 15 (Beijing time) that achieving this achievement requires fully combining the two most advanced technologies in the world. One is laser cooling and atomic trapping technology, and the other is the manufacturing technology of micro-optical resonators based on chips and ultra-high quality, and the two can be directly combined to produce optical fibers that meet the experimental requirements. The Weizmann Institute where Dayang Laboratories is located is one of the few research institutes in the world that can master both technologies at the same time.
In the various efforts made in the development of quantum computers, the most important driving force comes from the objective existence of the quantum "superposition state", which is a state in which particles exist simultaneously in different forms, and has the potential to handle massive databases in parallel. Moreover, the indefinite existence of the superposition state can continuously monitor and measure the system and prevent the computer from crashing. Because there is no interaction between quantum systems, quantum systems and other particle systems interact with each other very little. Therefore, photons are the most promising candidates for communication among quantum systems.
Dr. Da Yang said: “The road to build a quantum computer is still very long. The equipment we built demonstrates a simple and practical system that can be applied to the construction of all future quantum computers. In the current demonstration, a single atom can be used as a transistor. You can do bi-directional switching between photons, but in the next experiment, we hope to expand this type of device acting alone on photons, such as new photon memories or logic gates."
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