In a new breakthrough, Danish and German scientists have teamed up to solve a problem that has plagued quantum scientists for years — for the first time on two nanochips, two quantum light sources can be controlled simultaneously and entangled in quantum mechanics. The latest advances are critical to breakthrough applications of quantum hardware, will promote quantum technology to the next level, are a key step in accelerating the "quantization" of computers, encryption and the internet, and will open the door to the commercial use of quantum technology. The research was published in the latest issue of the journal Science.

For years, researchers have been working to develop stable quantum light sources and achieve quantum mechanical entanglement, where two quantum light sources can interact with each other instantly at a distance. Entanglement is the foundation of quantum networks and central to the development of efficient quantum computers.

Professor Peter Lodal of the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen said his team had been working on using photons as microtransmitters to transmit quantum information. The 100 photons emitted by a quantum light source would contain more information than the world's largest supercomputer could process. Using 20-30 entangled quantum light sources, scientists have the potential to build a universal error-correcting quantum computer.

But the biggest challenge in achieving this goal is moving from controlling one quantum light source to controlling two quantum light sources. Because the light source is very sensitive to external "noise", it is difficult to replicate. After 20 years of hard work, in the latest research, Lodar's team has successfully created two identical quantum light sources, and developed advanced nanochips to precisely control each light source and achieve quantum mechanical entanglement.

Postdoctoral fellow Alexei Tilanov, lead author of the latest study, explains: "Entanglement means controlling one light source and immediately influencing another, allowing us to create a network of quantum light sources in which all light sources interact to perform quantum operations in the same way as bits in ordinary computers, thus gaining processing power that is not possible with today's computer technology." ”