Continuous-variable optical quantum information processing, where quantum information is encoded in a traveling wave of light called a flying qubit, is a candidate for a practical quantum computer with high clock frequencies. Homodyne detectors for quadrature-phase amplitude measurements have been the major factor limiting the clock frequency. Here, we developed a real-time amplitude measurement method using a modular optical parametric amplifier (OPA) and a broadband balanced photodiode that is commercially used for coherent wavelength-division multiplexing telecommunication of the fifth-generation mobile communication systems (5G). The OPA amplifies one quadrature-phase component of the quantum-level signal to a loss-tolerant macroscopic level and suppresses the loss after the OPA from 92.4% to only 0.4%. This method was applied to a broadband squeezed vacuum measurement with a center wavelength of 1545.32 nm. In the time-domain measurement, the squeezing level of 5.1 ± 0.1 dB without loss correction was obtained by a real-time oscilloscope with a sampling rate of 160 GHz and an analog bandwidth of 63 GHz. The frequency-domain analysis also shows that a squeezing level of 5.2 ± 0.5 dB is obtained from DC to 43 GHz, which is limited by the balanced detector. This indicates that the proposed method can be easily broadened by using a broader bandwidth measurement instrument. By applying this method, not only can optical quantum computers with high clock frequencies be realized but also multi-core systems can be realized.
Continuous-variable optical quantum information processing, where quantum information is encoded in a traveling wave of light called a flying qubit, is a candidate for a practical quantum computer with high clock frequencies. Homodyne detectors for quadrature-phase amplitude measurements have been the major factor limiting the clock frequency. Here, we developed a real-time amplitude measurement method using a modular optical parametric amplifier (OPA) and a broadband balanced photodiode that is commercially used for coherent wavelength-division multiplexing telecommunication of the fifth-generation mobile communication systems (5G). The OPA amplifies one quadrature-phase component of the quantum-level signal to a loss-tolerant macroscopic level and suppresses the loss after the OPA from 92.4% to only 0.4%. This method was applied to a broadband squeezed vacuum measurement with a center wavelength of 1545.32 nm. In the time-domain measurement, the squeezing level of 5.1 ± 0.1 dB without loss correction was obtained by a real-time oscilloscope with a sampling rate of 160 GHz and an analog bandwidth of 63 GHz. The frequency-domain analysis also shows that a squeezing level of 5.2 ± 0.5 dB is obtained from DC to 43 GHz, which is limited by the balanced detector. This indicates that the proposed method can be easily broadened by using a broader bandwidth measurement instrument. By applying this method, not only can optical quantum computers with high clock frequencies be realized but also multi-core systems can be realized.
Measurement-based optical quantum computers (MBOQCs) using continuous-variables (CVs) of light are a candidate for large-scale fault-tolerant quantum computing [1]. This form of processing has a high carrier frequency of light, so it can also perform ultra-fast quantum computing. To achieve ultra-fast MBOQCs, broadband squeezed light generation and ultra-fast realtime amplitude measurement are required. So far, over-4.5-dB squeezed light generation, which is required for preparing a two-dimensional cluster state, has been demonstrated in THz bandwidth by using noise intensity measurement with a narrow bandwidth [2], [3]. However, the realtime amplitude measurement frequency is limited to several GHz. Up to now, the highest frequency is still limited to 9 GHz with 0.1-dB squeezing even though specific detectors have been designed [4]. This is because there is a tradeoff relationship between the bandwidth and the quantum efficiency of homodyne detectors. As a result, we cannot use a fast balanced homodyne detector such as a detector for high-speed optical communications with a large optical loss, which collapses the quantum states of light. To achieve ultra-fast realtime amplitude measurement, we need a new measurement method to overcome the tradeoff limitations.
Measurement-based optical quantum computers (MBOQCs) using continuous-variables (CVs) of traveling wave of light have a potential for ultra-fast fault-tolerant quantum information processing [1]. In CV MBOQCs, broadband high-level squeezed light is the most essential quantum resource. Broad bandwidth not only enables high-clock frequency computation, but also contributes to the realization of large-scale quantum computers using time-domain-multiplexed quantum entanglement. This is because squeezed light with a broader bandwidth enables us to define many more quantum wave packets in a narrow time range. On the other hand, high-level squeezing contributes to high-fidelity quantum operation and suppression of quantum errors. For example, over-8.3-dB squeezing enables us to achieve a fault-tolerant CV MBOQC with Gottesman-Kitaev-Preskill (GKP) coding [2].
Phase-sensitive detection is the essential projective measurement for measurement-based continuous-variable quantum information processing. The bandwidth of conventional electrical phase-sensitive detectors is up to several gigahertz, which would limit the speed of quantum computation. It is theoretically proposed to realize terahertz-order detection bandwidth by using all-optical phase-sensitive detection with an optical parametric amplifier (OPA). However, there have been experimental obstacles to achieve large parametric gain for continuous waves, which is required for use in quantum computation. Here, we adopt a fiber-coupled χ (2) OPA made of a periodically poled LiNbO 3 waveguide with high durability for intense continuous-wave pump light. Thanks to that, we manage to detect quadrature amplitudes of broadband continuous-wave squeezed light. 3 dB of squeezing is measured up to 3 THz of sideband frequency with an optical spectrum analyzer. Furthermore, we demonstrate the phase-locking and dispersion compensation of the broadband continuous-wave squeezed light, so that the phase of the squeezed light is maintained over 1 THz. The ultra-broadband continuous-wave detection method and dispersion compensation would help to realize all-optical quantum computation with over-THz clock frequency.
We demonstrate broadband phase-sensitive amplification (PSA) measurement of squeezed light generated by a waveguide optical parametric amplifier (OPA) with external dispersion compensation. In broadband systems, group velocity dispersion (GVD) induces a frequency-dependent rotation of the squeezing axis, which limits the observable bandwidth in PSA measurements. To overcome this limitation, we introduce external dispersion compensation between two OPAs and suppress the quadrature rotation over a wide frequency range. As a result, we observe a maximum squeezing of 5.9 dB near the carrier frequency and more than 5 dB of squeezing up to a frequency offset of 4.5 THz from the carrier. Furthermore, squeezing below the shot-noise level is confirmed up to a frequency offset of 6 THz from the carrier, corresponding to the accessible phase-matching bandwidth of the waveguide OPA. Our results establish a practical method for broadband characterization of squeezed light and provide a key step toward ultrafast continuous-variable quantum information processing.
Quantum information processors benefit from high clock frequencies to fully harness quantum advantages before they are lost to decoherence. All-optical systems offer unique benefits due to their inherent 100-THz carrier frequency, enabling the development of THz-clock frequency processors. However, the bandwidth of quantum light sources and measurement devices has been limited to the MHz range, with nonclassical state generation rates in the kHz range. In this study, we demonstrated broadband generation and quantum tomography of non-Gaussian states using an optical parametric amplifier (OPA) as a squeezed light source and an optical phase-sensitive amplifier (PSA). Our system includes a 6-THz squeezed-light source, a 6-THz PSA, and a 66-GHz homodyne detector. We successfully generated non-Gaussian states at a 0.9 MHz rate with sub-nanosecond wave packets using a continuous-wave laser. The performance is currently limited by the jitter of superconducting detectors, restricting the usable bandwidth to 1 GHz. Our technique extends the bandwidth to GHz, potentially increasing non-Gaussian state generation rates for practical optical quantum processors using OPAs. The use of optical phase sensitive amplifiers (PSA) has been shown to allow fast quantum tomography of Gaussian states, but non-Gaussian states are a key component for quantum computation using optical continuous-variable systems. Here, the authors extend PSA-enhanced high-bandwidth homodyne detection to non-Gaussian states.
We achieved continuous-wave 8.3-dB squeezed light generation using a terahertz-order-broadband waveguide optical parametric amplifier by improving a measurement setup from our previous work [T. Kashiwazaki et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 119, 251104 (2021)], where a low-loss periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) waveguide had shown 6.3-dB squeezing at a 6 THz frequency. First, to improve efficiency of the squeezed light detection, we reduced effective optical loss to about 12% by removing extra optics and changing the detection method into a low-loss balanced homodyne measurement. Second, to minimize phase-locking fluctuation, we constructed a frequency-optimized phase-locking system by comprehending its frequency responses. Finally, we found optimal experimental parameters of a measurement frequency and a pump power from their dependences for the squeezing levels. The measurement frequency was decided as 11 MHz to maximize a clearance between shot and circuit noises. Furthermore, pump power was optimized as 660 mW to get higher squeezing level while suppressing anti-squeezed-noise contamination due to an imperfection of phase locking. Note that this over-8-dB squeezing is achieved without any loss-correction and circuit-noise correction. Moreover, it is shown that the squeezing level soon after our PPLN waveguide is estimated at over 10 dB, which is thought to be mainly restricted by the waveguide loss. This broadband highly squeezed light opens the possibility to realize fault-tolerant ultra-fast optical quantum computers.