William J. Munro

Hybrid-system approach to fault-tolerant quantum communication

We present a layered hybrid-system approach to quantum communication that involves the distribution of a topological cluster state throughout a quantum network. Photon loss and other errors are suppressed by optical multiplexing and entanglement purification. The scheme is scalable to large distances, achieving an end-to-end rate of 1 kHz with around 50 qubits per node. We suggest a potentially suitable implementation of an individual node composed of erbium spins (single atom or ensemble) coupled via flux qubits to a microwave resonator, allowing for deterministic local gates, stable quantum memories, and emission of photons in the telecom regime.

Integration of highly probabilistic sources into optical quantum architectures: perpetual quantum computation

In this paper, we introduce a design for an optical topological cluster state computer constructed exclusively from a single quantum component. Unlike previous efforts we eliminate the need for on demand, high fidelity photon sources and detectors and replace them with the same device utilized to create photon/photon entanglement. This introduces highly probabilistic elements into the optical architecture while maintaining complete specificity of the structure and operation for a large-scale computer. Photons in this system are continually recycled back into the preparation network, allowing for an arbitrarily deep three-dimensional cluster to be prepared using a comparatively small number of photonic qubits and consequently the elimination of high-frequency, deterministic photon sources.

Hybrid quantum systems in the microwave regime (Conference Presentation)

The efficient generation, coherent control, manipulation and measurement of quantum states of light and matter is at the core of quantum technologies. Hybrid quantum systems, where one combines the best parts of multiple individual quantum systems together without their weaknesses, are now seen as a way to engineer composite quantum systems with the properties one requires. This would in principle allow one to probe new physical regimes. However, the issue until recently has been that hybridization has not resulted in systems with superior properties. Recently however we [Nature Photonics 11, 3639 (2016)] have shown an increased coherence times in hybrid system is of composed nitrogen-vacancy centers strongly coupled to a superconducting microwave resonator. This demonstration has enabled this kind of hybrid system to enter the regime where quantum nonlinearities are present. We discuss several types of nonlinearity effects that can be naturally explored (bistability and superradiance). Our work paves the way for the creation of spin squeezed states, novel metamaterials, long-lived quantum multimode memories and solid-state microwave frequency combs. Further in the longer term it may enable the exploration of many-body phenomena in new cavity quantum electrodynamics experiments.

Noise management to achieve superiority in quantum information systems

Quantum information systems are expected to exhibit superiority compared with their classical counterparts. This superiority arises from the quantum coherences present in these quantum systems, which are obviously absent in classical ones. To exploit such quantum coherences, it is essential to control the phase information in the quantum state. The phase is analogue in nature, rather than binary. This makes quantum information technology fundamentally different from our classical digital information technology. In this paper, we analyse error sources and illustrate how these errors must be managed for the system to achieve the required fidelity and a quantum superiority. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Quantum technology for the 21st century’.

Coherent manipulation of an NV center and one carbon nuclear spin

We study a three-qubit system formed by the NV center’s electronic and nuclear spin plus an adjacent spin 1/2 carbon 13C. Specifically, we propose a manipulation scheme utilizing the hyperfine coupling of the effective S=1 degree of freedom of the vacancy electrons to the two adjacent nuclear spins to achieve accurate coherent control of all three qubits.