Two-photon quantum walk in a multimode fiber

Defienne, H. , Barbieri, M., Walmsley, I. A., Smith, B. J. and Gigan, S. (2016) Two-photon quantum walk in a multimode fiber. Science Advances, 2(1), e1501054. (doi: 10.1126/sciadv.1501054) (PMID:27152325) (PMCID:PMC4846436)

Abstract

Multiphoton propagation in connected structures—a quantum walk—offers the potential of simulating complex physical systems and provides a route to universal quantum computation. Increasing the complexity of quantum photonic networks where the walk occurs is essential for many applications. We implement a quantum walk of indistinguishable photon pairs in a multimode fiber supporting 380 modes. Using wavefront shaping, we control the propagation of the two-photon state through the fiber in which all modes are coupled. Excitation of arbitrary output modes of the system is realized by controlling classical and quantum interferences. This report demonstrates a highly multimode platform for multiphoton interference experiments and provides a powerful method to program a general high-dimensional multiport optical circuit. This work paves the way for the next generation of photonic devices for quantum simulation, computing, and communication.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: This work was funded by the European Research Council (grant no. 278025) and M.B. was supported by a Rita Levi-Montalcini contract of MIUR. B.J.S. was partially supported by the Oxford Martin School programme on Bio-Inspired Quantum Technologies and EPSRC grants EP/E036066/1 and EP/K034480/1.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Defienne, Dr Hugo
• Authors: Defienne, H., Barbieri, M., Walmsley, I. A., Smith, B. J., and Gigan, S.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Physics and Astronomy
• Journal Name: Science Advances
• Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science
• ISSN: 2375-2548
• ISSN (Online): 2375-2548
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2016 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Science Advances 2(1):e1501054
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License