A new photonic quantum computer has begun operating in Germany.

Known as the Paderborn Quantum Sampler (PaQS), the system - based at Paderborn University - is Europe's largest sampling-based quantum computer. 

Its development is part of the €50 million PhoQuant initiative, funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). 

The project, involving 13 partners from academia and industry, includes Q.ANT, Menlo Systems, Fraunhofer IOF Jena, and Swabian Instruments. Another cloud-accessible quantum computer is being developed at Fraunhofer IOF in Jena.

PaQS uses photons to perform calculations, enabling room-temperature operations and scalable designs. However, optical losses are a challenge. 

“We are tackling this problem by drawing on Germany’s world-leading expertise in integrated photonics,” says Professor Christine Silberhorn from Paderborn University.

The machine is based on Gaussian boson sampling, a quantum computing model suited for molecular simulations and other complex problems. 

The team’s fully programmable interferometer provides flexibility for various quantum experiments, supporting future applications. 

“This can be relevant for solving protein folding problems or calculating certain molecular states,” Silberhorn says. 

Key to the system's power is “squeezed light”, a quantum resource developed through Paderborn’s work in optical waveguides. 

Photonic quantum computing offers advantages like scalability and fast operations, yet the field remains in its early stages. 

While competing approaches, such as superconducting qubits, are being explored, photonic systems show significant promise in fields like pharmaceutical research and secure communications.

More details are accessible here.

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