Quantum Photonics
Photonics is a promising hardware platform for quantum technology. The junior research group »Quantum Photonics« at the Chair for Laser Technology (LLT) at RWTH Aachen University was founded in summer 2022 and is working on photonic quantum computing and heterogeneous quantum networks.
The further development and utilization of quantum technologies is the subject of current research. Many actors on the political level (e.g., in the framework of the EU Quantum Technologies Flagship), the economic side (e.g., Google and IBM), and in fundamental and interdisciplinary research (e.g., in the Cluster of Excellence Matter and Light for Quantum Computing (ML4Q)) promise revolutionary new possibilities in the areas of scientific simulation, tap-proof communication, and sensitive sensor technology. The goal is to unlock solutions to challenges that were previously considered practically or theoretically impossible to compute.
High-precision laser systems are already widely used in experimental implementations of qubits, e.g., for trapping, cooling, and readout of quantum states in the case of so-called ion trap qubits or in readout of quantum dot qubits. Customized, high-precision laser systems will continue to be crucial for research in quantum technology. Thus, the Chair of Laser Technology (LLT), through its expertise in handling and developing such laser systems, is well positioned to address current and future challenges in quantum technology.
Together with its cooperation partners from RWTH and Fraunhofer, the Chair of Laser Technology is conducting research to solve tasks in quantum technology using nonlinear optical processes, to link quantum computers in heterogeneous networks, and to further develop photonic quantum computing, such as the sources of entangled photon pairs required for this purpose.