UBC researchers have proposed a solution to a major challenge in quantum networking: a device that can convert microwave signals to optical signals and back again.
This technology could act as a universal translator for quantum computers, allowing them to communicate across long distances. It can convert up to 95 percent of a signal with almost no added noise, and it fits entirely on a silicon chip—the same material used in everyday computers.
“It’s like finding a translator that gets nearly every word right, keeps the message intact and adds no background chatter,” says study author Mohammad Khalifa, who conducted the research during his PhD at UBC’s faculty of applied science and the UBC Blusson Quantum Matter Institute.
“Most importantly, this device preserves the quantum connections between distant particles and works in both directions. Without that, you’d just have expensive individual computers. With it, you get a true quantum network.”
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