Science & Technology - Posted by Liam Mitchell-Toronto on Wednesday, May 2, 2012 16:14 - 0 Comments 
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(1 votes, average: 1.00 out of 5) Loading ...No-fuss device delivers entangled photons
The semiconductor chip schematic shown here is a depiction of the integrated circuits designed by the Helmy research group, where the chip takes in photons from an external source (blue) and through the intricate design of the circuit. The result is two photons (red) that are entangled without the need for other circuitry or components. (Credit: The Helmy Research Group, University of Toronto)
U. TORONTO (CAN) — A new device could move supercomputing out of the lab by making it faster and easier to produce a special class of photons.
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The text of this article by Futurity is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivatives License.
Advanced computing technologies—such as ultra-secure communication systems and optical quantum computers—use light to quickly relay information. To enable these technologies to work, a photon, the smallest unit of energy, has to be tightly coupled with another photon. These are known as entangled photon pairs.
The current means for producing the finely tuned particles of light uses relatively bulky optical equipment in specialized labs.
The photons are also extremely delicate to construct and are very sensitive to mechanical vibrations. This complexity and associated cost currently make the use of this technology in homes or offices impracticable.
Engineers at the University of Toronto have successfully designed a new counterpart to the delicate laboratory equipment that could produce the entangled photon pairs using an integrated circuit. Ultimately, the entire production of the photons could be completed using a single chip.
Scientists at Toronto, along with their colleagues at the University of Waterloo and Universität Innsbruck, have tested the first generation of these devices. They report their findings in a recent issue of Physical Review Letters.
“The research offers the prospect of unleashing the potential of the powerful and underutilized quantum technologies into the main stream commercial world, out of the lab,” explains Amr Helmy, a professor in the electrical and computer engineering department at Toronto.
While other attempts at creating a chip-based solution didn’t permit the addition of other components, Helmy’s team used a semiconductor chip that would function with the other existing equipment. This makes it possible to have all of the required components that traditionally exist in a laboratory be on the same chip.
Utilizing quantum optical computing will be key in solving extremely difficult computational problems, such as complex data sorting.
Optical computers are much faster than any classical computer thanks to their ability to use advanced modern algorithms. Producing entangled pairs using this chip is a first and significant step towards making them commercially available and perhaps might lead to future quantum-optical gadgets.
More news from the University of Toronto: www.news.utoronto.ca/
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