Bigger and faster computation with photons
Summarize this article with:
Subjects Quantum informationQuantum opticsQuantum simulation Access through your institution Buy or subscribe The problem with photon loss is that it degrades quantum correlations between optical modes, which destroys the computational advantage offered by quantum computers. Liu and colleagues addressed this issue by combining high-efficiency squeezed light sources with a low-loss, highly connected photonic architecture.The experimental setup of the photonic quantum processor, named Jiuzhang 4.0, contains three main components: squeezed light sources, a programmable spatial–temporal encoding circuit, and a photon detection system. Four independent optical parametric oscillators generate single-mode squeezed states, which are spectrally filtered using interference structures consisting of two balanced beam splitters and a mirror (pictured). This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution Access options Access through your institution Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription $32.99 / 30 days cancel any time Learn more Subscribe to this journal Receive 12 print issues and online access $259.00 per year only $21.58 per issue Learn more Rent or buy this article Prices vary by article type from$1.95 to$39.95 Learn more Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout Author informationAuthors and AffiliationsNature Physics https://www.nature.com/nphys/Lishu WuAuthorsLishu WuView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarCorresponding authorCorrespondence to Lishu Wu.Rights and permissionsReprints and permissionsAbout this articleCite this articleWu, L. Bigger and faster computation with photons. Nat. Phys. (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-026-03346-9Download citationPublished: 15 June 2026Version of record: 15 June 2026DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-026-03346-9Share this articleAnyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:Get shareable linkSorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.Copy shareable link to clipboard Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative