- Erbium molecular qubits provide precise optical and spin transitions for quantum control
- These qubits make it possible to access spin states through telecom-compatible light
- High-resolution spin-photon interfaces could support scalable quantum network development
Researchers have created an erbium-based molecular qubit that offers a way to connect quantum systems to existing fiber networks.
These qubits combine precise optical and spin transitions and allow operations at standard telecommunication wavelengths.
It makes it possible to control and read out magnetic quantum states using light, compatible with standard fiber optic infrastructure.
High Resolution Spin-Photon Interfaces
This capability could support scalable quantum networks without requiring entirely new communications hardware.
The development was led by researchers at the University of Chicago in collaboration with UC Berkeley, Argonne National Laboratory and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Their work received support from the US Department of Energy’s Office of Science and the Q-NEXT National Quantum Information Science Research Center.
The team engineered organo-erbium molecules to combine strong magnetic interactions with optical transitions in telecommunication bands, creating a controllable and tunable quantum system.
The molecular qubits provide a spin-photon interface at the nanoscale.
“These molecules can act as a nanoscale bridge between the world of magnetism and the world of optics,” said Leah Weiss, a postdoctoral fellow at the UChicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering and co-first author.
Optical spectroscopy and microwave techniques enable the addressing of quantum states with megahertz-level precision.
Such dual control enables connections between spin-based quantum processors or sensors and photonic systems.
These features form the potential building blocks for integrated quantum devices and communication networks.
Because qubits’ optical transitions fall within telecommunication bands, they can be integrated with silicon photonics platforms.
This compatibility allows experimentation at both the workstation level for development and large-scale deployment in data centers for broader network applications.
Qubits’ design could accelerate the creation of hybrid systems that combine optical, microwave and quantum control on a single chip.
These systems also open up possibilities for sensing, quantum communication, and integrated quantum platforms.
Erbium molecular qubits could be incorporated into systems capable of transmitting, entangling and distributing quantum states over commercial fiber.
This approach enables quantum networks to connect directly with existing optical infrastructure while remaining compatible with classical networks.
“By demonstrating the versatility of these erbium molecular qubits, we are taking another step toward scalable quantum networks that can plug directly into today’s optical infrastructure,” said David Awschalom, Liew Family Professor of Molecular Engineering and Physics at UChicago and principal investigator.
Although the results demonstrate technical feasibility, practical implementation still requires evaluation under real network conditions.
Challenges remain in integrating these qubits with CPU-based controllers, managing large-scale data center deployment, and ensuring consistent performance.
That said, this work moves the field toward quantum networks while still requiring extensive testing for widespread use.
Via SDxCentral
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