A unified optical platform for non-Gaussian and fault-tolerant Gottesman-Kitaev-Preskill states

TL;DR

This paper presents a versatile optical platform that generates high-fidelity non-Gaussian states essential for quantum communication, computation, and sensing, using only Gaussian inputs and heralded detection, thus overcoming previous technological limitations.

Contribution

It introduces a unified, scalable optical method that produces various non-Gaussian states with high fidelity, enabling fault-tolerant quantum operations without requiring high-photon-number states or strong nonlinearities.

Findings

Generated photon-added squeezed states with near-unit fidelity

Produced cubic-phase-like states with over 98.5% fidelity

Created squeezed-cat states exceeding 99% fidelity capable of GKP state breeding

Abstract

Quantum technologies, encompassing communication, computation, and metrology, rely on the generation and control of non-Gaussian states of light. These states enable secure quantum communication, fault-tolerant quantum computation, and precision sensing beyond classical limits, yet their practical realisation remains a major challenge due to reliance on high-photon-number Fock states or strong non-linearities. Here we introduce a unified optical framework that removes this constraint, using only Gaussian inputs, optical parametric amplification, and heralded photon detection. Within a single architecture, we demonstrate the generation of photon-added squeezed states with near unit fidelity, cubic-phase-like states with strong non-linearities and fidelities above 98.5%, and squeezed-cat states exceeding 99% fidelity that can be iteratively bred into GKP grid states surpassing the 9.75 dB fault-tolerance threshold. Operating entirely below 3 dB of input squeezing, the approach provides a scalable, experimentally accessible platform that unites the state resources required for quantum communication, metrology, and computation within one coherent optical framework.