“The challenge in this work was shaping the photon appropriately so we could maximize the absorption efficiency,” explains Aziza Almanakly, an electrical engineering and computer science graduate student and lead author of the paper.
To tackle this, the team used reinforcement learning, a type of artificial intelligence, to optimize the shape of the photon before it was sent.
This adjustment significantly improved the photon’s absorption rate, reaching over 60% efficiency.
Potential for larger quantum networks
With this advancement, researchers are closer to building larger, more reliable quantum computing systems.
“Pitching and catching photons enables us to create a ‘quantum interconnect’ between nonlocal quantum processors, and with quantum interconnects comes remote entanglement,” says William D. Oliver, senior author of the study.