Quantum Computation through Entangling Single Photons in Multipath Interferometers

Single-photon interferometry has been used to simulate quantum computations. Its use has been limited to studying few-bit applications due to rapid growth in physical size with numbers of bits. We propose a hybrid approach that employs n photons, each having L degrees of freedom yielding L(n) basis states. The photons are entangled via a quantum nondemolition measurement. This approach introduces the essential element of quantum computing, that is, entanglement into the interferometry. Using these techniques, we demonstrate a controlled-NOT gate and a Grover's search circuit. These ideas are also applicable to the study of nonlocal correlations in many dimensions.