Motivated by rapidly advancing capabilities for extensive nanoscale patterning of optical materials, I propose an approach to implementing photonic sequential logic that exploits circuit-scale phase coherence for efficient realizations of fundamental components such as a NAND-gate-with-fanout and a bistable latch. Kerr-nonlinear optical resonators are utilized in combination with interference effects to drive the binary logic. Quantum-optical input-output models are characterized numerically using design parameters that yield attojoule-scale energy separation between the latch states.
Motivated by rapidly advancing capabilities for extensive nanoscale patterning of optical materials, I propose an approach to implementing photonic sequential logic that exploits circuit-scale phase coherence for efficient realizations of fundamental components such as a NAND-gate-with-fanout and a bistable latch. Kerr-nonlinear optical resonators are utilized in combination with interference effects to drive the binary logic. Quantum-optical input-output models are characterized numerically using design parameters that yield attojoule-scale energy separation between the latch states.
Abstract Kerr nonlinear cavities displaying optical thresholding have been proposed for the realization of ultra-low power photonic logic gates. In the ultra-low photon number regime, corresponding to energy levels in the attojoule scale, quantum input–output models become important to study the effect of unavoidable quantum fluctuations on the performance of such logic gates. However, being a quantum anharmonic oscillator, a Kerr-cavity has an infinite dimensional Hilbert space spanned by the Fock states of the oscillator. This poses a challenge to simulate and analyze photonic logic gates and circuits composed of multiple Kerr nonlinearities. For simulation, the Hilbert of the oscillator is typically truncated to the span of only a finite number of Fock states. This paper develops a quasi-principal components approach to identify important subspaces of a Kerr-cavity Hilbert space and exploits it to construct an approximate reduced model of the Kerr-cavity on a smaller Hilbert space. Using this approach, we find a reduced dimension model with a Hilbert space dimension of 15 that can closely match the magnitudes of the mean transmitted and reflected output fields of a conventional truncated Fock state model of dimension 75, when driven by an input coherent field that switches between two levels. For the same input, the reduced model also closely matches the magnitudes of the mean output fields of Kerr-cavity-based AND and NOT gates and a NAND latch obtained from simulation of the full 75 dimension model.
A large obstacle for realizing quantum photonic logic is the weak optical nonlinearity of available materials, which results in large power consumption. In this paper, we present the theoretical design of all-optical logic with second order (χ(2)) nonlinear bimodal cavities and their networks. Using semiclassical models derived from the Wigner quasi-probability distribution function, we analyze the power consumption and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of networks implementing an optical AND gate and an optical latch. Comparison between the second and third order (χ(3)) optical logic reveals that while the χ(3) design outperforms the χ(2) design in terms of the SNR for the same input power, employing the χ(3) nonlinearity necessitates the use of cavities with ultra high quality factors (Q∼106) to achieve gate power consumption comparable to that of the χ(2) design at significantly smaller quality factors (Q∼104). Using realistic estimates of the χ(2) and χ(3) nonlinear susceptibilities of available materials, we show that at achievable quality factors (Q∼104), the χ(2) design is an order of magnitude more energy efficient than the corresponding χ(3) design.
Photon-based quantum logic gate has substantial advantages over conventional atom-based designs as a result of a longer coherence time and an inherent compatibility with quantum communication protocol of flying qubits, photons. As a vital logic gate for universal quantum computing, the two-photon controlled-phase gate demands a few-photon nonlinearity, which historically suffers from either an indeterministic nature in the linear optics regime, or a weak nonlinearity within naturally-occurring materials in the nonlinear optics regime. It is intriguing yet challenging to deliver a logic gate design by exploiting a genuine fewphoton nonlinearity. In this dissertation, we study a particular one-dimensional quantum nanophotonic system that offers the desired few-photon nonlinearity through light-matter interactions in the quantum limit (i.e., between light quanta of photons and individual material formation of atoms). Towards this end, we study the exotic photonic trimer state generation to frst demonstrate few-photon nonlinearity. Then we report the breakdown of the non-Hermitian Hamiltonian for correlated multi-photon process to unveil the non-trivial effects of few-photon nonlinearity. Finally by exploiting such a nonlinearity, we present a deterministic two-photon controlled-phase gate proposal, and further showcase universal quantum logic gate designs in quantum nanophotonic systems.
Quantum information science aims to harness uniquely quantum mechanical properties to enhance measurement and information technologies, and to explore fundamental aspects of quantum physics. Of the various approaches to quantum computing [1], photons are particularly appealing for their low-noise properties and ease of manipulation at the single qubit level [2,3]. Encoding quantum information in photons is also an appealing approach to quantum communication, metrology (eg. [4]), measurement (eg. [5]) and other quantum technologies [6]. However, the implementation of optical quantum circuits with bulk optics has reached practical limits. We have developed an integrated waveguide approach to photonic quantum circuits for high performance, miniaturization and scalability [7]. Here we report high-fidelity silica-on-silicon integrated optical realizations of key quantum photonic circuits, including two-photon quantum interference and a controlled-NOT logic gate [8]. We have demonstrated controlled manipulation of up to four photons on-chip, including highfidelity single qubit operations, using a lithographically patterned resistive phase shifter [9]. We have used this architecture to implement a small-scale compiled version of Shor's quantum factoring algorithm [10], demonstrated heralded generation of tunable four photon entangled states from a six photon input [11], a reconfigurable two-qubit circuit [12], and combined waveguide photonic circuits with superconducting single photon detectors [13]. We describe complex quantum interference behavior in multi-mode interference devices with up to eight inputs and outputs [14], and quantum walks of correlated particles in arrays of coupled waveguides [15]. Finally, we give an overview of our recent work on fundamental aspects of quantum measurement [16,17] and diamond [18,19] and nonlinear [20,21] photon sources.
Abstract This research presents a theoretical framework for realizing photonic quantum logic using nonlinear phase-space methods rooted in quantum optics. By modeling multi-mode interferometric networks through non-Gaussian transformations and operator-based Wigner dynamics, we construct an approach that bypasses the limitations of Gaussian-only computation. The work enables scalable, matterfree quantum information processing through light, supporting entanglement generation, squeezing control, and universal logic gate design. The proposed model contributes to the future of all-optical quantum computing by offering a mathematically rigorous path for implementing computation in quantum technologies. It serves both as a fundamental extension of optical quantum theory and as a practical tool for advancing light-based quantum devices.
Many proposals for solid-state photonic implementations of quantum information processing utilize high-quality optical resonators to achieve strong coupling between guided fields and heterogeneously incorporated qubits. Given the practical difficulty of accurately placing quantum dots, vacancy centers, or other such atomlike emitters throughout a complex nanophotonic circuit, it would be natural to consider whether high-quality resonators could be used in conjunction with bulk optical nonlinearities to create optically coupled qubit degrees of freedom via lithographic patterning of a homogeneous medium. A recent limit theorem for quantum stochastic differential equations can be used to prove rigorously that this should be possible, in principle, using resonators incorporating a strongly Kerr-nonlinear, ${\ensuremath{\chi}}^{(2)}$-nonlinear, or two-photon-absorbing material with very low loss at the fundamental optical wavelength.