Scalable Generation and Detection of on-Demand W States in Nanophotonic Circuits
Jun Gao, Leonardo Santos, Govind Krishna, Ze-Sheng Xu, Adrian Iovan, Stephan Steinhauer, Otfried Gühne, Philip J. Poole, Dan Dalacu, Val Zwiller, Ali W. Elshaari · Nano Letters · 2023
Quantum physics phenomena, entanglement and coherence, are crucial for quantum information protocols, but understanding these in systems with more than two parts is challenging due to increasing complexity. The W state, a multipartite entangled state, is notable for its robustness and benefits in quantum communication. Here, we generate eight-mode on-demand single-photon W states, using nanowire quantum dots and a silicon nitride photonic chip. We demonstrate a reliable and scalable technique for reconstructing the W state in photonic circuits using Fourier and real-space imaging, supported by the Gerchberg-Saxton phase retrieval algorithm. Additionally, we utilize an entanglement witness to distinguish between mixed and entangled states, thereby affirming the entangled nature of our generated state. The study provides a new imaging approach of assessing multipartite entanglement in W states, paving the way for further progress in image processing and Fourier-space analysis techniques for complex quantum systems.