Silicon photonic processor of two-qubit entangling quantum logic

Santagati, R and Silverstone, J W and Strain, M J and Sorel, M and Miki, S and Yamashita, T and Fujiwara, M and Sasaki, M and Terai, H and Tanner, M G and Natarajan, C M and Hadfield, R H and O'Brien, J L and Thompson, M G (2017) Silicon photonic processor of two-qubit entangling quantum logic. Journal of Optics (United Kingdom), 19 (11). ISSN 2040-8978

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Abstract

Entanglement is a fundamental property of quantum mechanics, and is a primary resource in quantum information systems. Its manipulation remains a central challenge in the development of quantum technology. In this work, we demonstrate a device which can generate, manipulate, and analyse two-qubit entangled states, using miniature and mass-manufacturable silicon photonics. By combining four photon-pair sources with a reconfigurable six-mode interferometer, embedding a switchable entangling gate, we generate two-qubit entangled states, manipulate their entanglement, and analyse them, all in the same silicon chip. Using quantum state tomography, we show how our source can produce a range of entangled and separable states, and how our switchable controlled-Z gate operates on them, entangling them or making them separable depending on its configuration.