QuIC-TAQS: Quantum Networking with Multipartite Entangled Photons

光学光子是唯一可以在室温下穿越长距离的量子比特。因此，它们非常适合于互联远程量子节点，用于安全量子通信、分布式量子信息处理和分布式量子传感。这些应用的一个关键推动因素是高效地产生、测量和转换纠缠光子的能力。然而，这些任务极具挑战性，因为光子通常不会相互作用。在这个项目中，主要研究人员将开发一套有效地产生、转换和表征多光子纠缠态的新技术，并探索它们在量子网络和量子互连中的新使能应用。该项目将为量子中继器和量子互联网的发展做出贡献。该项目还包括一项强有力的教育和推广努力，这将有助于在高中和本科早期课程中引入量子力学和信息的运动。这一努力包括设计在线量子游戏，突出量子力学在通信和网络方面提供的新颖能力。多光子纠缠态是量子网络、分布式和光子量子计算以及量子传感的基本资源。然而，有效的多光子纠缠态的产生、表征和转换仍然是一个突出的挑战。在这个项目中，一个由数学家、信息理论家、量子物理学家、光子工程师和材料科学家组成的跨学科团队将开发一套新技术，用于创建、评估和使用多光子纠缠态，用于量子网络和量子互连。该团队最近取得了一项使人能够实现的理论突破，表明只需使用一个自旋标记量子发射器和几个辅助量子比特，就可以确定地产生各种多光子纠缠态。在这些理论发现的指导下，该团队将在实验上展示通过使用固态量子发射器和纳米光子腔来高效地产生光子纠缠态。他们还将利用集成的非线性光子学来有效地转换多光子纠缠态。量子状态验证协议将被开发用于有效的状态表征，以克服与量子状态层析相关的缩放挑战。实验工作将由量子信息理论提供信息，该理论探索新的和优化的状态工程协议，以及多体纠缠光子在量子通信和网络中的新应用。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Optical photons are the only qubits that can traverse long distances at room temperature. They are thus uniquely suitable for interconnecting remote quantum nodes for secure quantum communication, distributed quantum information processing, and distributed quantum sensing. A key enabler for these applications is the capability to efficiently generate, measure, and transform entangled photons. However, these tasks are extremely challenging since photons normally do not interact with each other. In this program, the principal investigators will develop a set of new technologies for efficient generation, transformation, and characterization of multi-photon entangled states, and explore their new enabling applications in quantum networking and quantum interconnects. The project will contribute to the development of quantum repeaters and the quantum internet. The program also includes a strong education and outreach effort that will contribute to the growing movement to introduce quantum mechanics and information to high-school and early undergraduate curricula. This effort includes designing online quantum games that highlight the novel capabilities that quantum mechanics affords in communication and networking.Multi-photon entangled states are fundamental resources for quantum networking, distributed and photonic quantum computing, and quantum sensing. However, efficient generation, characterization, and transformation of multi-photon entangled states remain an outstanding challenge. In this program, a cross-disciplinary team consisting of mathematicians, information theorists, quantum physicists, photonic engineers, and materials scientists will develop a set of new technologies for creating, evaluating, and using multi-photon entangled states for quantum networking and quantum interconnects. The team has recently made an enabling theoretical breakthrough, showing that it is possible to deterministically generate a variety of multi-photon entangled states by using only a single spin-tagged quantum emitter coupled with a few ancillary qubits. Guided by these theoretical discoveries, the team will experimentally demonstrate efficient generation of photonic entangled states by using solid-state quantum emitters coupled with a nanophotonic cavity. They will also employ integrated nonlinear photonics for efficient transformation of multi-photon entangled states. Quantum state verification protocols will be developed for efficient state characterization to overcome scaling challenges associated with quantum state tomography. The experimental efforts will be informed by quantum information theory that explores new and optimized state engineering protocols as well as novel applications of multipartite entangled photons in quantum communication and networking.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.