University of Twente Researcher Demonstrate Feasibility of 50 Perfect Photons Necessary for Quantum Supremacy

(Phys.org) Proving quantum supremacy requires at least 50 qubits. For quantum computers working with light, it is equally necessary to have at least 50 photons. And what’s more, these photons have to be perfect, or else they will worsen their own quantum capabilities.
There is one important condition: the photons have to be perfect in order to get to the critical number of 50. In a new paper, University of Twente scientists have now demonstrated that this is feasible.
The researchers went back to basics—to the light source, to determine if there is room for improvement. They wanted to improve the crystal structure of the light source. By playing with the preferred orientation in the crystals and by dividing them into domains, it was possible to produce light with the desired properties. For some years now, researchers have been working on fixed domains. Varying the domains, however, is required for better tailoring of the light properties. In many labs around the world, researchers are studying this method of manipulating light. This new publication adds a new way of optimizing the crystal by approaching the realization of perfect photons.