Bath develops optical fibers specified for quantum computing

31 Jul 2024

A new generation of specialty optical fibers has been developed by physicists at the University of Bath, UK, to cope with the challenges of data transfer expected to arise in the future age of quantum computing.

Quantum technologies promise to provide unparalleled computational power, allowing the solving of complex logical problems, development of new medicines and unbreakable cryptographic techniques for secure communications. However, says the Bath team, “the cable networks used today to transmit information across the globe are likely to be sub-optimal for quantum communications, due to the solid cores of their optical fibers”.

Unlike regular optical fibers, the specialty fibers fabricated at Bath have a micro-structured core, consisting of a complex pattern of air pockets running along the entire length of the fiber.

“The conventional optical fibers that are the workhorse of our telecommunications networks of today transmit light at wavelengths that are entirely governed by the losses of silica glass. However, these wavelengths are not compatible with the operational wavelengths of the single-photon sources, qubits, and active optical components, that are required for light-based quantum technologies,” said Dr Kristina Rusimova from the Department of Physics at Bath.

Dr Rusimova and her colleagues describe the state-of-the-art fibers made at Bath, along with other recent and future developments in the emerging field of quantum computing, in Applied Physics Letters Quantum. Dr Rusimova, lead senior author, added, “Optical-fiber design and fabrication is at the forefront of our research, and the optical fibers we are developing with quantum computers in mind are laying the foundations for the data transmission needs of tomorrow”.

Quantum entanglement

Dr Cameron McGarry, until recently a physicist at Bath and first-author of the paper, said, “A quantum internet is an essential ingredient in delivering on the vast promises of such emerging quantum technology. Much like the existing internet, a quantum internet will rely on optical fibers to deliver information from node to node. These optical fibers are likely to be very different to those that are used currently and will require different supporting technology to be useful.”

In their perspective, the researchers discuss the associated challenges of the quantum internet from the viewpoint of optical fiber technology and present an array of potential solutions for scalability of a robust, wide-scale quantum network. This encompasses both the fibers that will be used for long-range communication, and specialty fibers that will allow for quantum repeaters, integrated directly into the network in order to extend the distance over which this technology can operate.

Beyond connecting nodes

Dr McGarry said, “Unlike the optical fibers that are typically used for telecommunications, specialty fibers, which are routinely fabricated at Bath, have a micro-structured core, consisting of a complex pattern of air pockets running along the entire length of the fiber.

“The pattern of these air pockets is what allows researchers to manipulate the properties of the light inside the fiber and create entangled pairs of photons, change the colour of photons, or even trap individual atoms inside the fibers.”

“Researchers around the world are making rapid and exciting advancements in the capabilities of microstructured optical fibers in ways that are of interest to industry,” said Dr Kerrianne Harrington who is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Physics. “Our perspective describes the exciting advances of these novel fibers and how they could be beneficial to future quantum technologies.”

Dr Alex Davis, an EPSRC Quantum Career Acceleration Fellow at Bath, added: “It’s the ability of fibers to tightly confine light and transport it over long distances that makes them useful. As well as generating entangled photons, this allows us to generate more exotic quantum states of light with applications in quantum computing, precision sensing and impregnable message encryption.”