Researchers at Australian Centre for Quantum Computation & Communication Technology open a new avenue to quantum computing with a breakthrough experiment: a large-scale quantum processor prototype made entirely of light.
The research was published in Science today states that the processor has built-in scalability that allows the number of quantum components — made out of light — to scale to extreme numbers. The processor, called a cluster state (read this article too), is made out of light. The specially designed crystals convert ordinary laser light into a type of quantum light called squeezed light, which is then weaved into a cluster state by a network of mirrors, beamsplitters and optical fibers. (CQCCT)