• Advanced Photonics
  • Vol. 7, Issue 1, 016006 (2025)
Maria Gorizia Ammendola1,2,†, Francesco Di Colandrea1,3,*, Lorenzo Marrucci1,4, and Filippo Cardano1,*
Author Affiliations
  • 1Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Dipartimento di Fisica “Ettore Pancini”, Napoli, Italy
  • 2Scuola Superiore Meridionale, Napoli, Italy
  • 3University of Ottawa, Nexus for Quantum Technologies, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
  • 4Institute of Applied Science and Intelligent Systems, CNR-ISASI, Pozzuoli, Italy
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    DOI: 10.1117/1.AP.7.1.016006 Cite this Article Set citation alerts
    Maria Gorizia Ammendola, Francesco Di Colandrea, Lorenzo Marrucci, Filippo Cardano, "Large-scale free-space photonic circuits in two dimensions," Adv. Photon. 7, 016006 (2025) Copy Citation Text show less

    Abstract

    Photonic circuits, engineered to couple optical modes according to a specific map, serve as processors for classical and quantum light. The number of components typically scales with that of processed modes, thus correlating system size, circuit complexity, and optical losses. We present a photonic-circuit technology implementing large-scale unitary maps in free space, coupling a single input to hundreds of output modes in a two-dimensional compact layout. The map corresponds to a quantum walk of structured photons, realized through light propagation in three liquid-crystal metasurfaces, having their optic axes artificially patterned. Theoretically, the walk length and the number of connected modes can be arbitrary while keeping losses constant. The patterns can be designed to replicate multiple unitary maps. We also discuss limited reconfigurability by adjusting the overall birefringence and the relative displacement of the optical elements. These results lay the basis for the design of low-loss nonintegrated photonic circuits, primarily for manipulating multiphoton states in quantum regimes.
    Supplementary Materials
    Maria Gorizia Ammendola, Francesco Di Colandrea, Lorenzo Marrucci, Filippo Cardano, "Large-scale free-space photonic circuits in two dimensions," Adv. Photon. 7, 016006 (2025)
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