PHOTONIC QUANTUM COMPUTING VIA GRAPHENE NANOSTRUCTURES -- PHOQUGRAPH
Abstract
Achieving on-chip nonlinear optical effects at ultra-low powers is an outstanding challenge in optics. At the ultimate limit individual single photons interact with each other. So far, this limit has been out of reach, but if achieved it would benefit a variety of information technologies. It would lead to optimal performance of telecom devices, and enable photonic quantum technologies. PhoQuGraph will pursue a fundamentally new approach to single-photon nonlinear optics, where graphene mediates a nonlinear interaction between two photons. This approach will be based on the remarkable properties of graphene, in which surface plasmons (photons that have been bound to electrons in a material) can be confined to scales that are millions of times smaller than the photon, inducing exceptionally strong nonlinear interactions.While it has been theoretically shown that nanostructured graphene provides this confinement, allowing single photons to activate nonlinear processes, much remains to be done experimentally. In PhoQuGraph we will characterize the nonlinearity of graphene in the classical regime, and then push it to the single-photon level. Our final aim is to create a quantum device that can generate quantum states of light using nanostructured graphene. In addition to finding a host of applications in classical information technology, this project will lay the foundation for a new paradigm of photonic quantum computing based on graphene plasmonics.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Aug 11, 2021
- Source ID
- FA86552017030
Entities
People
- Philip Walther
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- United States Air Force
- University of Vienna