A versatile device for implementing the optical quantum gates in multiple degrees of freedom

Optical quantum logic gates are the basic elements for building optical quantum computer. Usually, to implement different logic gates, different optical elements and frameworks are needed. Here, we propose a versatile device that a modified Sagnac interferometer composed of a spatial light modulator (SLM) for implementing multiple optical gates within a classical light framework. We demonstrate that the device can manipulate the polarization and full-field spatial modes of photons to perform multi-qubit logic operations. And versatile conversions between different logic gates are achieved by simply altering the hologram imposed on SLM. Our device shows a good performance in exploring the photon's full degrees of freedom, which makes it an appropriate candidate for integrated optical computing.

Automated summary

In this study, a versatile device composed of a modified Sagnac interferometer and a spatial light modulator (SLM) is proposed to implement multiple optical gates. The device shows good performance in manipulating the polarization and spatial modes of photons, making it an appropriate candidate for integrated optical computing.