Implementation of a single-photon fully quantum router with cavity QED and linear optics

• Published in: Optical and quantum electronics Vol. 53; no. 1
• Main Authors: Cao, Cong, Han, Yu-Hong, Yi, Xin, Yin, Pan-Pan, Zhang, Xiu-Yu, Gao, Yong-Pan, Fan, Ling, Zhang, Ru
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 2021; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Computer Communication Networks; Data processing; Electrical Engineering; Lasers; Optical Devices; Optics; Photonics; Photons; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Platforms; Quantum electrodynamics; Quantum phenomena; Qubits (quantum computing); Quantum router; NV center; Cavity QED; Linear optics
• ISSN: 0306-8919; 1572-817X
• DOI: 10.1007/s11082-020-02701-1

Both cavity quantum electrodynamics and linear optics are promising platforms for the implementation of coherent manipulations of quantum information, and have potential applications in the development of practical quantum devices. In this paper, we propose a simple and deterministic scheme for implementing a single-photon fully quantum router by a combination of both platforms. With this router, a polarization encoded signal photonic qubit can be coherently routed to one of two distinct spatial output ports or their coherent superposition according to the state of a control photonic qubit, while keeping the signal information stored in the signal qubit unaltered under the quantum routing operation. Our scheme has several advantages in contrast to previously published ones, and on top of that, this device meets all the requirements imposed on a fully featured quantum router and is easily scalable for multiqubit quantum routing. Moreover, it exhibits high experimental feasibility with current or near-future technologies. Therefore, this router can be integrated with protocols for the realization of quantum information processing and future complex quantum networks.