2015/11/18

Many-body quantum devices are paving the way towards far fetched applications in ultra-precise quantum metrology, quantum computing and quantum simulators. Achievements of reliable large-scale processes innovations have been occurring at such a fast pace that there is a lack of practical certification techniques capable of verifying the reliability and correct functioning of such devices.

In a recent work published in Nature Communications, ICFO researcher Christian Gogolin, in collaboration with scientists from the Dahlem Center for Complex Quantum Systems, the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, and MPQ - Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, have reported on an experimentally friendly and reliable certification tool for photonic quantum technologies. They have presented a certification test applicable to multi-mode pure Gaussian states, pure non-Gaussian states generated by linear-optical circuits with Fock-basis states of constant boson number as inputs, and pure states generated from the latter class by post-selecting with Fock-basis measurements. This protocol is efficient in the former case, as well as for a constant number of photons in the latter two.

The results presented in this study constitute a step forward in the field of photonic quantum certification, making it possible to attain reliable certification of large-scale photonic networks as those used for quantum-information processing, quantum simulations, BosonSampling, and quantum metrology. Such certifications will be door openers for the development of practical and useful quantum technologies for applications in material science, pharmaceutics, and for fundamental research.

Link to the paper
Link to the research group led by ICREA Prof. at ICFO Maciej Lewenstein
Link to the research group led by ICREA Prof. at ICFO Antonio Acín