Quantum coherent transceivers toward Holevo-limited communications

TL;DR

This paper reports the development of a quantum-limited coherent receiver with high noise clearance and bandwidth, demonstrating potential for surpassing classical communication limits using quantum states.

Contribution

The authors demonstrate an integrated photonic-electronic quantum-limited receiver achieving high shot noise clearance and scaling to a 32-channel array, advancing quantum communication technology.

Findings

Achieved 14.0 dB shot noise clearance in a quantum receiver.

Scaled the design to a 32-channel array with median 26.6 dB SNC.

Measured 0.15 dB squeezing below shot noise limit.

Abstract

The Holevo limit bounds the channel capacity of a communication channel in which information is encoded in quantum states in a Hilbert space at the transmitter and decoded using quantum measurements at the receiver. Saturating the Holevo limit requires quantum-limited transceivers that either generate quantum states of light or employ quantum-limited measurements. Here, we demonstrate an integrated photonic-electronic quantum-limited coherent receiver (QRX) achieving 14.0 dB shot noise clearance (SNC), 520 $\mu$W knee power, 2.57 GHz 3-dB bandwidth, 3.50 GHz shot-noise-limited bandwidth, and 90.2 dB common-mode rejection ratio ($\mathrm{CMRR}$). We scale this design to a 32-channel QRX array with median 26.6 dB $\mathrm{SNC}$, and automatic $\mathrm{CMRR}$ correction yielding a median 76.8 dB $\mathrm{CMRR}$ at minimum. Using the integrated QRX and fiber-optic transmitter, we measure $0.15\pm0.01$ dB of squeezing below the shot noise limit, limited by off-chip losses. We propose a squeezed light communication scheme that can surpass the Shannon limit, with a path toward the Holevo limit.