Optical Quantum Computing

In 2001, all-optical quantum computing became feasible with the discovery that scalable quantum computing is possible using only single-photon sources, linear optical elements, and single-photon detectors. Although it was in principle scalable, the massive resource overhead made the scheme practically daunting. However, several simplifications were followed by proof-of-principle demonstrations, and recent approaches based on cluster states or error encoding have dramatically reduced this worrying resource overhead, making an all-optical architecture a serious contender for the ultimate goal of a large-scale quantum computer. Key challenges will be the realization of high-efficiency sources of indistinguishable single photons, low-loss, scalable optical circuits, high-efficiency single-photon detectors, and low-loss interfacing of these components.

# Quantum Information and Cryptography # Computer Science # Quantum Computing Algorithms and Architecture # Semiconductor Quantum Structures and Devices # Physics and Astronomy

Jeremy L. O’Brien (2007). "Optical Quantum Computing". Science. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1142892