Abstract
Frequency-bin encoding furnishes a compelling pathway for quantum information processing systems compatible with established lightwave infrastructures based on fiber-optic transmission and wavelength-division multiplexing. Yet although significant progress has been realized in proof-of-principle tabletop demonstrations, ranging from arbitrary single-qubit gates to controllable multiphoton interference, challenges in scaling frequency-bin processors to larger systems remain. In this Perspective, we highlight recent advances at the intersection of frequency-bin encoding and integrated photonics that are fundamentally transforming the outlook for scalable frequency-based quantum information. Focusing specifically on results on sources, state manipulation, and hyperentanglement, we envision a possible future in which on-chip frequency-bin circuits fulfill critical roles in quantum information processing, particularly in communications and networking.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1879-1894 |
| Number of pages | 16 |
| Journal | Nanophotonics |
| Volume | 14 |
| Issue number | 11 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jun 1 2025 |
Funding
We thank A. Miloshevsky and K. Wu for valuable discussions. A portion of this work was performed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, operated by UT-Battelle for the U.S. Department of Energy under contract no. DE-AC05-00OR22725. The Quantum Collaborative, led by Arizona State University, provided valuable expertise and resources for this project. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-mission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC (NTESS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA) under contract DE-NA0003525. This written work is authored by an employee of NTESS. The employee, not NTESS, owns the right, title, and interest in and to the written work and is responsible for its contents. Any subjective views or opinions that might be expressed in the written work do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Government. The publisher acknowledges that the U.S. Government retains a non-exclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, world-wide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this written work or allow others to do so, for U.S. Government purposes. The DOE will provide public access to results of federally sponsored research in accordance with the DOE Public Access Plan. This work was done independently of, and is not sponsored by, Sandia National Laboratories.
Keywords
- electro-optic modulators
- frequency bins
- microring resonators
- photonic entanglement
- quantum communications and networking
- quantum information processing