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Monolithic integration of continuous-variable cluster-state generation, manipulation and measurement

Nature Photonics volume 20, pages 428–436 (2026) Cite this article

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Abstract

Photonic integrated circuits provide a controllable and scalable platform for quantum information processing. In particular, continuous-variable integrated photonic quantum devices—which encode quantum information in the quadratures of optical qumodes—provide distinct advantages, although generating multimode entanglement in such systems has remained a key challenge. Here we demonstrate a monolithic integrated quantum photonic circuit that enables the full on-chip generation, manipulation and measurement of continuous-variable multi-qumode cluster-state entanglement. The device incorporates strongly squeezed quantum light sources with wafer-scale scalability, high-fidelity single-qumode and two-qumode entangling gates, and local oscillators and interferometers for balanced homodyne detection—all on a single chip. This co-integration enables the preparation, control and measurement of four-qumode cluster states and individual qumodes with high stability and high fidelity. The monolithic integration of high-performance devices allows rigorous verification of genuine multipartite entanglement with unambiguous cluster-state structures. This work establishes a controllable and scalable platform for optical quantum computing, networking and sensing.

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Fig. 1: Monolithic integrated CV-QPIC for the generation, manipulation and measurement of multi-qumode cluster states on a chip.
The alternative text for this image may have been generated using AI.
Fig. 2: Characterizations of integrated squeezed light sources with strong squeezing, high tunability and high purity.
The alternative text for this image may have been generated using AI.
Fig. 3: Characterizations of integrated single-qumode rotational gates and two-qumode BS entangling gates.
The alternative text for this image may have been generated using AI.
Fig. 4: On-chip generation and verification of four-qumode cluster-state entanglement.
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Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding authors.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant nos. 12325410, 62235001, 11834010, 123B2065, 124B2081 and 62505005), the Innovation Program for Quantum Science and Technology (grant nos. 2021ZD0301500 and 2024ZD0302401), the Beijing Natural Science Foundation (Z220008), the China National Postdoctoral Program for Innovative Talents (grant nos. BX20250180 and BX20240025), the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (grant no. 2024M760071), the Fundamental Research Program of Shanxi Province (grant no. 20210302121002) and the Fund for Shanxi ‘1331 Project’ Key Subjects Construction.

Author information

Author notes

  1. These authors contributed equally: Xinyu Jia, Chang You, Chonghao Zhai.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory for Mesoscopic Physics, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing, China

    Xinyu Jia, Chang You, Chonghao Zhai, Yun Zheng, Tianxiang Dai, Zhaorong Fu, Qihuang Gong & Jianwei Wang

  2. Beijing Academy of Quantum Information Sciences, Beijing, China

    Xinyu Jia

  3. State Key Laboratory of Quantum Optics and Quantum Optics Devices, Institute of Opto-Electronics, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, China

    Xuezhi Zhu & Xiaolong Su

  4. Collaborative Innovation Center of Extreme Optics, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, China

    Xiaolong Su, Qihuang Gong & Jianwei Wang

  5. Frontiers Science Center for Nano-optoelectronics and Collaborative Innovation Center of Quantum Matter, Peking University, Beijing, China

    Qihuang Gong & Jianwei Wang

  6. Hefei National Laboratory, Hefei, China

    Qihuang Gong & Jianwei Wang

  7. Beijing Key Laboratory of Advanced Micro- and Nanoscale Light Source Materials and Devices, Peking University, Beijing, China

    Jianwei Wang

Authors
  1. Xinyu Jia
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Contributions

X.J. and J.W. conceived the project. X.J., C.Z. and X.Z. designed the devices. X.J., C.Y., C.Z., X.Z., Y.Z., T.D. and Z.F. implemented the experiments. X.J., C.Y. and C.Z. provided the simulations and performed the theoretical analysis. X.S., Q.G. and J.W. managed the project. X.J., C.Y., C.Z. and J.W. wrote the manuscript with input from all authors. All authors discussed the results and contributed to the manuscript.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Xinyu Jia, Xiaolong Su or Jianwei Wang.

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Nature Photonics thanks Andrea Crespi, Craig Hamilton and Nicholas Harris for their contribution to the peer review of this work.

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Jia, X., You, C., Zhai, C. et al. Monolithic integration of continuous-variable cluster-state generation, manipulation and measurement. Nat. Photon. 20, 428–436 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41566-026-01868-5

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