Abstract

Quantum mechanics has remained one of the most fascinating topics in physics ever since it was first formalized by the Copenhagen interpretation in the 1920’s. While much of the early experimental work focused on verification of quantum mechanical theory, focus has now shifted towards utilizing the remarkable features of quantum mechanics in emerging quantum technologies. For example, the evolution of complex quantum-mechanical systems could be used to perform calculations beyond the capability of classical computers and the inherent randomness involved in making measurements on a quantum state provides a source of unbreakable cryptographic keys for secure communications. In this talk, we introduce a high-speed quantum random number generator based on integrated photonics, and a high-bandwidth quantum memory for light; we will discuss the impact of these technologies on long-distance quantum communication and local photonic quantum processing.

© 2013 Optical Society of America