OQuLus

Light-based quantum computers in discrete and continuous variables

Project manager

Pascale Senellart-Mardon, CNRS

Overview

The OQuLus project brings together French experts in photonics and quantum technologies to build two prototypes of NISQ (Noisy Intermediate Scale Quantum) optical quantum computers.

Keywords: Photonic qubits, optical qumodes, squeezing, low-loss integrated photonic circuits, quantum light sources, quantum computing, quantum gates, single quantum emitters, single photon detectors, optical calculus

Social media: LinkedIn

In a nutshell

Photons have an infinite decoherence time, an advantage unmatched by quantum computing approaches based on solid-state qubits. Photonic quantum computing also offers excellent prospects for scaling up, as the platform is based on the well-established semiconductor industry. Photons are therefore leading competitors in the race for quantum computing, as evidenced by the historic demonstration of quantum advantage in computing.

France has a head start in this race, which is reflected in the ambitions of the OQuLus consortium. It brings together a wide range of theoretical and experimental expertise, from semiconductor physics to integrated optics, for both digital encoding – discrete variables DV – and analog encoding – continuous variables CV.

Challenges

OQuLus aims to build two prototypes of NISQ (Noisy Intermediate Scale Quantum) optical quantum computers using two approaches:

  • In DV, the project is developing an 8-qubit prototype with quantum boxes emitting single, entangled photons, coupled to reconfigurable ultra-low-loss silicon nitride computing circuits.
  • In CV, the researchers follow a measurement-based approach using time-frequency modes to create cluster states from 10 nodes (cavity generation) to 10,000 nodes (single pass with time multiplexing), which they combine with mode-selective photon addition or subtraction to implement non-Gaussian operations.

Tasks

  • WP DV-S: Quantum generation resources
  • WP DV-NGS: Next-generation quantum sources
  • WP DV-BB: Discrete Variable Quantum Computing (DVQC) building blocks based on circuits
  • WP CV-G: Gaussian state generation
  • WP DV-SIV: Demonstrator assembly and first demonstrations
  • WP CV-NG: Non-Gaussian state generation
  • WP CV-P: Prototype quantum computer CV
  • WP TH-S: Realistic quantum state engineering
  • GT TH-PR: Protocols and resource characterization
  • WP M: Managements

Consortium

See all PEPR Quantum projects