Grant: Strategic Projects - Group

Quantum mechanics can provide the solution for unbreakable communications (e.g., a network with absolute security for financial transactions, medical and personal records etc.) and powerful computing (e.g., a platform capable of quickly processing huge sensory data). However, the realization of non-classical systems remains challenging as it pushes the limits of current technology in terms of scalability, stability and power consumption. The competing approaches (using ion traps, spintronics, electrons etc.) suffer from a high-cost, bulk scale and/or the need for operation under lab-controlled conditions, dramatically restricting the accessible computational resources and ultimately, the potential for real-world applications. Integrated photonics is increasingly perceived as a practical, scalable platform for implementing quantum technology, as it has the key advantages of being compatible with fiber-optic communication networks as well as with silicon electronics. However, current on-chip quantum circuits generate and efficiently process only qubits (i.e. two-dimensional states), with a footprint exponentially increasing with the problem complexity. In this project, university researchers from INRS-EMT, working in close collaboration with their industrial partners (OptoElectronics Components, and QPS Photronics in Canada), will develop a novel, robust, stable, and relatively low-cost platform for on-chip generation, manipulation and processing of optical quDits (i.e. high-dimensional states), with capabilities consistent with practical applications in communications, computing, sensing etc. In particular, our scheme will be based on on-chip optical frequency combs and the use of widely accessible fiber-optic signal processing techniques. We will target the demonstration of applications of the developed platform for high-bit-rate quantum random number generation, and fiber-based sensing with quantum-enhanced sensitivity, in line with the specific interests of our industrial partners. The know-how and technology to be generated from our project and the training of highly-qualified personnel will place Canada in a leading position in both the photonics and quantum fields.