Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 7, 2026
06:42
Generation and Coherent Control of Pulsed Quantum Frequency Combs
Published on: June 8, 2018
Demonstration of a compiled version of Shor's quantum factoring algorithm using photonic qubits
Chao-Yang Lu1, Daniel E Browne, Tao Yang
1Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale and Department of Modern Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, P.R. China.
Physical Review Letters
|February 1, 2008
Summary
Researchers experimentally demonstrated a version of Shor's algorithm using four photonic qubits to factor N=15. This quantum computation shows genuine multiparticle entanglement, advancing scalable photonic quantum computing.
Area of Science:
- Quantum Information Science
- Quantum Computing
- Photonic Quantum Systems
Background:
- Shor's algorithm is a key quantum algorithm for factoring large numbers exponentially faster than classical algorithms.
- Implementing Shor's algorithm requires complex quantum circuits and robust entanglement.
- Photonic quantum computing offers a promising platform for scalable quantum computation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To experimentally demonstrate a compiled version of Shor's algorithm using a minimal number of photonic qubits.
- To factor the number N=15, a standard benchmark for quantum algorithms.
- To validate the use of linear optical networks for implementing essential quantum circuits.
Main Methods:
- Utilized four photonic qubits to implement a simplified version of Shor's algorithm.
- Employed a simplified linear optical network to perform modular exponentiation and quantum Fourier transformation.
- Leveraged genuine multiparticle entanglement to confirm the quantum nature of the computation.
Main Results:
- Successfully factored N=15 by determining the period r=2.
- Observed genuine multiparticle entanglement, providing evidence for the quantum process.
- Demonstrated the feasibility of using linear optics for key quantum computational steps.
Conclusions:
- This experiment is a significant step towards the full realization of Shor's algorithm.
- The findings support the potential of scalable linear optics quantum computation.
- Highlights the practical challenges and advancements in building photonic quantum computers.
Related Concept Videos
02:45The Quantum-Mechanical Model of an Atom
Shortly after de Broglie published his ideas that the electron in a hydrogen atom could be better thought of as being a circular standing wave instead of a particle moving in quantized circular orbits, Erwin Schrödinger extended de Broglie’s work by deriving what is now known as the Schrödinger equation. When Schrödinger applied his equation to hydrogen-like atoms, he was able to reproduce Bohr’s expression for the energy and, thus, the Rydberg formula governing hydrogen spectra. Schrödinger...
01:28Synthetic Disvision of Polynomials
Synthetic division is an efficient algorithmic approach for dividing a polynomial by a linear binomial of the form x - c, where c is a real number. This method is helpful due to its streamlined process, which avoids the more cumbersome steps involved in the traditional long division of polynomials. It simplifies computation and serves as a practical tool for evaluating polynomials and identifying their factors.To perform synthetic division, one begins by listing the coefficients of the...
02:32The de Broglie Wavelength
In the macroscopic world, objects that are large enough to be seen by the naked eye follow the rules of classical physics. A billiard ball moving on a table will behave like a particle; it will continue traveling in a straight line unless it collides with another ball, or it is acted on by some other force, such as friction. The ball has a well-defined position and velocity or well-defined momentum, p = mv, which is defined by mass m and velocity v at any given moment. This is the typical...
02:43Quantum Numbers
It is said that the energy of an electron in an atom is quantized; that is, it can be equal only to certain specific values and can jump from one energy level to another but not transition smoothly or stay between these levels.
01:13Phasor Arithmetics
Phasors and their corresponding sinusoids are interrelated, offering unique insights into the behavior of alternating current (AC) circuits. One way to understand this relationship is through the operations of differentiation and integration in both the time and phasor domains.
When the derivative of a sinusoid is taken in the time domain, it transforms into its corresponding phasor multiplied by j-omega (jω) in the phasor domain, where j is the imaginary unit, and ω is the angular frequency.
When the derivative of a sinusoid is taken in the time domain, it transforms into its corresponding phasor multiplied by j-omega (jω) in the phasor domain, where j is the imaginary unit, and ω is the angular frequency.
03:06The Pauli Exclusion Principle
The arrangement of electrons in the orbitals of an atom is called its electron configuration. We describe an electron configuration with a symbol that contains three pieces of information: