Two-photon quantum gate based on highly coherent Rydberg-mediated photonic nonlinearity
Phys. Rev. A 114, 033710 – Published 8 September, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/z4qp-lzt9
Abstract
Optical systems are a promising platform for realizing universal quantum computation. However, photons do not naturally interact, presenting a major challenge for implementing efficient and deterministic multiqubit gates. Here, we propose a coupling scheme between photons and Rydberg atoms that induces strong effective photon-photon interactions with a negligibly small imaginary component. Leveraging this coherent photonic nonlinearity and combining it with the stationary light approach, we design a deterministic two-photon controlled-not gate with significantly improved fidelity compared to previous schemes. This approach could enable additional avenues for universal quantum computation and quantum information processing based on optical systems.
