Exploring Light Manipulation with Acousto Optics
Acousto Optics (AO) in quantum computing are used to manipulate the properties of light such as its frequency, its intensity, its phase or even its position. These properties have been well exploited in various experiments involving entangled photons: the latest Nobel Physics prize 2022 has been awarded to such experiments where AO devices were used to switch the photons from one polarizer to another in order to determine their respective polarization state.
AO’s Role in Quantum computing revolution
AO was a good candidate due to its ability of deflecting the photons within tenths of ns. The entangled photons have led to major revolutions in the Quantum science and their application are numerous.AO devices can be used to manipulate the quantum states of the qubits, the basic units of quantum information. By controlling the phase or frequency of the lasers, AO enable precise state preparation. Additionally, AO can be used to direct the laser beams at individual qubits in the ion chain.
