Telecom colour centres in silicon: an all-silicon quantum computing and communications platform

硅中的电信色彩中心：全硅量子计算和通信平台

• 批准号: RGPIN-2021-03863
• 负责人: Simmons, Stephanie
• 金额: $ 4.44万
• 依托单位: Simon Fraser University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2021-01-01 至 2022-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=742758
• 关键词: Telecom; colour; centres; silicon; quantum

Today's internet, built upon the laws of classical physics, continues to revolutionize our lives. A quantum internet, based upon the intriguing and richer laws governing quantum bits (qubits), will offer additional revolutionary capabilities which are otherwise impossible to achieve. Networked quantum computers will teleport information; perform crucial computational tasks exponentially faster than the world's top supercomputers; generate provably impenetrable cryptography and provably secure cloud computation; and support the simulation of nature (drugs, materials) with a realism that simply cannot be approximated by any other means. Networks of quantum computers unleash exponentially more combined capacity than the sum of their parts, and given expected environmental constraints, will likely be far easier to build than monolithic quantum supercomputers. Given the nascent state of the field, the full spectrum of future applications of quantum technologies likely lies outside our current collective imaginations. The potential of this sector is fueling intense and accelerating research worldwide. Last year the world observed a 53-qubit standalone quantum computer eclipsing the computing power of the world's top supercomputer! Yet even though it is widely assumed that, eventually, quantum computers will be networked over global quantum telecommunication channels, there is no consensus around the quantum hardware interface which will unlock this ambitious objective. Quite the opposite: there is a fierce and growing worldwide search underway to prototype an ideal quantum interface between long-lived material-based qubits suitable for high performance quantum computing, and telecommunications photons suitable for quantum networking. Many imperfect interfaces, often in exotic materials and at the wrong wavelengths, have been thoroughly studied in the pursuit of this visionary aim. Despite the fact that silicon is the basis of both the world's foremost computing and telecommunications technologies, it was widely assumed that silicon did not have the requisite quantum interfaces necessary to make the dream of an all-silicon quantum internet a reality. Excitingly, our very recent work resoundingly disproved this notion: we have produced and characterized a silicon matter-telecom photon interface of the highest quality. The next steps are clear: we must deploy these matter-photon interfaces into real quantum devices and prove beyond all doubt that they can underpin the quantum computation and communication technologies of the near future. This grant will allow us to build on our achievements, collaborations, and world-class infrastructure, and leverage an exceedingly rare first-mover global competitive advantage as well as decades of silicon manufacturing R&D. It will support, train and produce future quantum leaders. If we are successful, we anticipate this work will lead to a broad coalescence of research efforts towards a quantum dominant design.

今天的互联网建立在经典物理定律的基础上，继续给我们的生活带来革命性的变化。基于管理量子比特(量子比特)的有趣和更丰富的定律的量子互联网将提供其他革命性的能力，否则是不可能实现的。联网的量子计算机将传送信息；执行关键计算任务的速度将以指数级快于世界顶级超级计算机；生成可证明不可穿透的密码和可证明安全的云计算；并将以任何其他手段无法接近的真实感支持对自然(药物、材料)的模拟。考虑到预期的环境限制，量子计算机网络释放的总容量比其组成部分的总和高出指数倍，很可能比单片量子超级计算机容易得多。考虑到该领域的萌芽状态，量子技术未来应用的全部范围可能超出了我们目前的集体想象。这一领域的潜力正在推动全球范围内紧张而加速的研究。去年，全世界看到了一台53量子位的独立量子计算机，使世界顶级超级计算机的计算能力黯然失色！然而，尽管人们普遍认为，量子计算机最终将通过全球量子电信渠道联网，但人们并未就开启这一雄心勃勃的目标的量子硬件接口达成共识。恰恰相反：全球范围内正在进行一项激烈且日益增长的研究，以期在适合高性能量子计算的长寿命基于材料的量子比特和适合于量子网络的电信光子之间建立理想的量子接口。为了追求这个有远见的目标，人们对许多不完美的界面进行了彻底的研究，这些界面通常是在奇异的材料中，而且波长错误。尽管硅是世界上最重要的计算和电信技术的基础，但人们普遍认为，硅没有必要的量子接口，无法实现全硅量子互联网的梦想。令人兴奋的是，我们最近的工作彻底驳斥了这一概念：我们制造并表征了最高质量的硅物质-电信光子接口。下一步是明确的：我们必须将这些物质-光子接口部署到真正的量子设备中，并毫无疑问地证明它们可以支撑不久的未来的量子计算和通信技术。这笔赠款将使我们能够在我们的成就、合作和世界级基础设施的基础上再接再厉，并利用极其罕见的先发全球竞争优势以及数十年的硅制造研发。它将支持、培训和培养未来的量子领导者。如果我们取得成功，我们预计这项工作将导致研究努力的广泛联合，以实现量子主导的设计。