Optical reservoir computing for machine learning at the speed of light

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In analogy to how today's standard laptops have far exceeded the first punch-card computers, this three-year project targets the advancement of quantum computers capable of succeeding under real-world conditions, based on the reliable control of complex quantum states via 'high-dimensional gate operations'. The proposed research will allow the university team from INRS-EMT and its industrial partners (Passat Ltd. and few-cycle Inc.) to lead international efforts in improving the performance of quantum information processing (QIP), while using practical and low-cost platforms that are highly demanded by industry and academia. These needs can be addressed by quantum optics, as one can store large amounts of information in single photons (particles of light), which can also be transmitted over long distances in standard, low-cost telecommunications fibers. Since, however, photon detection rates are significantly higher in the visible, we will link these two regimes by up-converting photon frequencies. Full control over photons is crucial for QIP, which nevertheless requires quantum gates that are challenging to build, unsuitable for practical use, and still limited in dimensionality (d=4). We aim to boost that to d=8, which is a significant milestone, similar to the information increase from 2D X-Ray images to full 3D CT-scans. We will achieve this goal through three steps: (I) efficient up-conversion of photons through a programmable and compact thermal control unit; (II) universal scheme for arbitrarily mixing the spectral components of classical light with full control of amplitude and phase in the frequency domain; (III) extension of this universal scheme to coherently manipulate photons and arbitrarily mix their frequencies for performing the targeted gate operations on one and two photons. The proposed technology and the training of highly-qualified personnel will contribute to keep Canada at the forefront of the rapidly moving "quantum revolution", thereby enhancing its leading position across critical sectors that vitally require powerful quantum computation platforms, such as advanced environmental sensing, high-precision chemical analysis, and increased security protocols.