Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics Europe & European Quantum Electronics Conference (CLEO/Europe-EQEC)

Quantum simulation of spin chain dynamics via integrated photonics

Ioannis Pitsios, Leonardo Banchi, Adil Syed Rab, Marco Bentivegna, Debora Caprara, Andrea Crespi, Nicolò Spagnolo, Sougato Bose, Paolo Mataloni, Roberto Osellame, Fabio Sciarrino

Published Jun 1, 2017• 2 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Summary form only given. Photonic circuits represent a promising platform to perform quantum simulation of several different physical phenomena. Indeed, large progresses have been achieved in the last few years due to the technological advances enabled by integrated photonics, which allowed to achieve a significant increase in the size of the implemented systems. Notable examples of observed phenomena in integrated circuits include Anderson localization [1] and transport mechanisms [2].[4]). We discuss the photonic simulation of spin chain dynamics after a quench in a 5-site system [3]. Such dynamics present the feature of entangling distant spins in pairs starting from the input (separable) Neel state, thus obtaining an amount of entanglement which is proportional to the number of sites present in the system (volume law [4]). The verification of such increase in the amount of the generated entanglement provides a useful resource for several quantum information protocols, including quantum teleportation and quantum networking.

DOI
10.1109/cleoe-eqec.2017.8087349

Related papers

Photonic simulation of entanglement growth and engineering after a spin chain quench

Ioannis Pitsios, Leonardo Banchi, Adil S. Rab +8 more

The time evolution of quantum many-body systems is one of the most important processes for benchmarking quantum simulators. The most curious feature of such dynamics is the growth of quantum entanglement to an amount proportional to the system size (volume law) even when interactions are local. This phenomenon has great ramifications for fundamental aspects, while its optimisation clearly has an impact on technology (e.g., for on-chip quantum networking). Here we use an integrated photonic chip with a circuit-based approach to simulate the dynamics of a spin chain and maximise the entanglement generation. The resulting entanglement is certified by constructing a second chip, which measures the entanglement between multiple distant pairs of simulated spins, as well as the block entanglement entropy. This is the first photonic simulation and optimisation of the extensive growth of entanglement in a spin chain, and opens up the use of photonic circuits for optimising quantum devices.

arXiv:1603.02669•Nature Communications•Nov 13, 2017•73 citations

Photonic Simulation of Entanglement Generation and Transfer in a Spin Chain

Ioannis Pitsios, Leonardo Banchi, Adil Syed Rab +8 more

We report on photonic quantum simulation of a 5-site spin chain dynamics in femtosecond-written circuits, with engineered couplings for perfect quantum transport, confirming the expected creation of entanglement at half transport time.

Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics•Jan 1, 2016•1 citation

Simulation of quantum dynamics with integrated photonics

Linda Sansoni, Fabio Sciarrino, Paolo Mataloni +3 more

In recent years, quantum walks have been proposed as promising resources for the simulation of physical quantum systems. In fact it is widely adopted to simulate quantum dynamics. Up to now single particle quantum walks have been experimentally demonstrated by different approaches, while only few experiments involving many-particle quantum walks have been realized. Here we simulate the 2-particle dynamics on a discrete time quantum walk, built on an array of integrated waveguide beam splitters. The polarization independence of the quantum walk circuit allowed us to exploit the polarization entanglement to encode the symmetry of the two-photon wavefunction, thus the bunching-antibunching behavior of non interacting bosons and fermions has been simulated. We have also characterized the possible distinguishability and decoherence effects arising in such a structure. This study is necessary in view of the realization of a quantum simulator based on an integrated optical array built on a large number of beam splitters.

AIP conference proceedings•Jan 1, 2012•0 citations

Integrated waveguide photonics circuits for quantum simulation and beyond (Conference Presentation)

Paolo Mataloni

Quantum simulators are getting to the level of real devices, constituted by a quantum system which can be controlled in its preparation, evolution and measurement and whose dynamics can implement that of the target quantum system we want to simulate. In this context, photonics quantum technologies are expected to play an instrumental role in the realization of controlled quantum systems capable, in their evolution, to simulate a given complex system. I will present some of the main results obtained in this field in our laboratory by using integrated waveguide optical circuits that represent the hardware of a quantum simulator. These systems are constituted by interferometer arrays of beam splitters and phase shifters fabricated on single integrated platforms by femtosecond laser writing technique and have the potential of speeding-up the evolution from lab systems to the next generation of quantum optical devices for real-world applications. Using the mobility of photons we are able to create arbitrary interconnections within these systems and to mimic the main features of quantum phenomena of increasing complexity.

Integrated Optics: Devices, Materials, and Technologies•Mar 14, 2018•0 citations

Two-Dimensional Quantum Walk of Correlated Photons

Zhi‐Qiang Jiao, Jun Gao, Wenhao Zhou +5 more

Quantum walks in an elaborately designed graph, is a powerful tool simulating physical and topological phenomena, constructing analog quantum algorithms and realizing universal quantum computing. Integrated photonics technology has emerged as a versatile platform to implement various quantum information tasks and a promising candidate to perform large-scale quantum walks. Both extending physical dimensions and involving more particles will increase the complexity of the evolving systems and the desired quantum resources. Pioneer works have demonstrated single particle walking on two-dimensional (2D) lattices and multiple walkers interfering on a one-dimensional structure. However, 2D multi-particle quantum walk, genuinely being not classically simulatable, has been a vacancy for nearly ten years. Here, we present a genuine 2D quantum walk with correlated photons on a triangular photonic lattice, which can be mapped to a state space up to 37X37 dimensions. This breaks through the physically restriction of single-particle evolution, which can encode information in a large space and constitute high-dimensional graphs indeed beneficial to quantum information processing. A site-by-site addressing between the chip facet and the 2D fanout interface enables an observation of over 600 non-classical interferences simultaneously, violating a classical limit up to 57 standard deviations. Our platform offers a promising prospect for multi-photon quantum walks in a large-scale 2D arrangement, paving the way for practical quantum simulation and quantum computation beyond classical regime.

arXiv:2007.06554•Jul 13, 2020•1 citation

Implementation of Leaking Quantum Walks on a Photonic Processor

E. Stefanutti, J. Philipps, J. Buetow +4 more

Quantum walks (QWs) represent pillars of quantum dynamics and information processing. They provide a powerful framework for simulating quantum transport, designing search algorithms, and enabling universal quantum computation. Several physical platforms have been employed for their implementation, such as trapped atoms and ions, nuclear magnetic resonance systems, and photonic quantum architectures either in bulk optics or waveguide structures and fiber-loop networks. Here we focus on the most promising and versatile approach, that is photonic integrated circuits. In this work, we review how the employment of this versatile experimental platform has allowed to explore several phenomena related to QW-based protocols as, for instance, the evolution in presence of different kinds of noise. In this landscape, to the best of our knowledge, few examples report on the introduction of absorbing centers and their effects on the coherence of the dynamics. Here we present and discuss the results related to absorbing boundaries in QWs obtained through theoretical simulations and experiments conducted with the universal photonic quantum processors realized by Quix Quantum. We analyze how localized absorption along one lattice edge affects the walker dynamics depending on both the leakage probability and the initial injection site. Our results show that the presence of controlled losses modifies interference patterns and coherence, without fully destroying quantum features and providing an effective resource for engineering on-chip QWs and simulating open quantum systems.

quant-pharXiv:2601.13269•Jan 20, 2026•0 citations
Summary form only given. Photonic circuits represent a promising platform to perform quantum simulation of several different physical phenomena. Indeed, large progresses have been achieved in the last few years due to the technological advances enabled by integrated photonics, which allowed to achieve a significant increase in the size of the implemented systems. Notable examples of observed phenomena in integrated circuits include Anderson localization [1] and transport mechanisms [2].[4]). We discuss the photonic simulation of spin chain dynamics after a quench in a 5-site system [3]. Such dynamics present the feature of entangling distant spins in pairs starting from the input (separable) Neel state, thus obtaining an amount of entanglement which is proportional to the number of sites present in the system (volume law [4]). The verification of such increase in the amount of the generated entanglement provides a useful resource for several quantum information protocols, including quantum teleportation and quantum networking.
The time evolution of quantum many-body systems is one of the most important processes for benchmarking quantum simulators. The most curious feature of such dynamics is the growth of quantum entanglement to an amount proportional to the system size (volume law) even when interactions are local. This phenomenon has great ramifications for fundamental aspects, while its optimisation clearly has an impact on technology (e.g., for on-chip quantum networking). Here we use an integrated photonic chip with a circuit-based approach to simulate the dynamics of a spin chain and maximise the entanglement generation. The resulting entanglement is certified by constructing a second chip, which measures the entanglement between multiple distant pairs of simulated spins, as well as the block entanglement entropy. This is the first photonic simulation and optimisation of the extensive growth of entanglement in a spin chain, and opens up the use of photonic circuits for optimising quantum devices.
In recent years, quantum walks have been proposed as promising resources for the simulation of physical quantum systems. In fact it is widely adopted to simulate quantum dynamics. Up to now single particle quantum walks have been experimentally demonstrated by different approaches, while only few experiments involving many-particle quantum walks have been realized. Here we simulate the 2-particle dynamics on a discrete time quantum walk, built on an array of integrated waveguide beam splitters. The polarization independence of the quantum walk circuit allowed us to exploit the polarization entanglement to encode the symmetry of the two-photon wavefunction, thus the bunching-antibunching behavior of non interacting bosons and fermions has been simulated. We have also characterized the possible distinguishability and decoherence effects arising in such a structure. This study is necessary in view of the realization of a quantum simulator based on an integrated optical array built on a large number of beam splitters.
Quantum simulators are getting to the level of real devices, constituted by a quantum system which can be controlled in its preparation, evolution and measurement and whose dynamics can implement that of the target quantum system we want to simulate. In this context, photonics quantum technologies are expected to play an instrumental role in the realization of controlled quantum systems capable, in their evolution, to simulate a given complex system. I will present some of the main results obtained in this field in our laboratory by using integrated waveguide optical circuits that represent the hardware of a quantum simulator. These systems are constituted by interferometer arrays of beam splitters and phase shifters fabricated on single integrated platforms by femtosecond laser writing technique and have the potential of speeding-up the evolution from lab systems to the next generation of quantum optical devices for real-world applications. Using the mobility of photons we are able to create arbitrary interconnections within these systems and to mimic the main features of quantum phenomena of increasing complexity.
Quantum walks in an elaborately designed graph, is a powerful tool simulating physical and topological phenomena, constructing analog quantum algorithms and realizing universal quantum computing. Integrated photonics technology has emerged as a versatile platform to implement various quantum information tasks and a promising candidate to perform large-scale quantum walks. Both extending physical dimensions and involving more particles will increase the complexity of the evolving systems and the desired quantum resources. Pioneer works have demonstrated single particle walking on two-dimensional (2D) lattices and multiple walkers interfering on a one-dimensional structure. However, 2D multi-particle quantum walk, genuinely being not classically simulatable, has been a vacancy for nearly ten years. Here, we present a genuine 2D quantum walk with correlated photons on a triangular photonic lattice, which can be mapped to a state space up to 37X37 dimensions. This breaks through the physically restriction of single-particle evolution, which can encode information in a large space and constitute high-dimensional graphs indeed beneficial to quantum information processing. A site-by-site addressing between the chip facet and the 2D fanout interface enables an observation of over 600 non-classical interferences simultaneously, violating a classical limit up to 57 standard deviations. Our platform offers a promising prospect for multi-photon quantum walks in a large-scale 2D arrangement, paving the way for practical quantum simulation and quantum computation beyond classical regime.
Quantum walks (QWs) represent pillars of quantum dynamics and information processing. They provide a powerful framework for simulating quantum transport, designing search algorithms, and enabling universal quantum computation. Several physical platforms have been employed for their implementation, such as trapped atoms and ions, nuclear magnetic resonance systems, and photonic quantum architectures either in bulk optics or waveguide structures and fiber-loop networks. Here we focus on the most promising and versatile approach, that is photonic integrated circuits. In this work, we review how the employment of this versatile experimental platform has allowed to explore several phenomena related to QW-based protocols as, for instance, the evolution in presence of different kinds of noise. In this landscape, to the best of our knowledge, few examples report on the introduction of absorbing centers and their effects on the coherence of the dynamics. Here we present and discuss the results related to absorbing boundaries in QWs obtained through theoretical simulations and experiments conducted with the universal photonic quantum processors realized by Quix Quantum. We analyze how localized absorption along one lattice edge affects the walker dynamics depending on both the leakage probability and the initial injection site. Our results show that the presence of controlled losses modifies interference patterns and coherence, without fully destroying quantum features and providing an effective resource for engineering on-chip QWs and simulating open quantum systems.