US 11,790,221 B2
Quantum optical neural networks
Jacques Johannes Carolan, Cambridge, MA (US); Gregory R. Steinbrecher, Brookline, MA (US); and Dirk Robert Englund, Brookline, MA (US)
Assigned to Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA (US)
Filed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA (US)
Filed on Mar. 23, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/826,364.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/851,784, filed on May 23, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2020/0372334 A1, Nov. 26, 2020
Int. Cl. G06N 3/067 (2006.01); G06N 10/00 (2022.01); G06N 3/04 (2023.01); G02F 1/35 (2006.01)
CPC G06N 3/067 (2013.01) [G02F 1/35 (2013.01); G06N 3/04 (2013.01); G06N 10/00 (2019.01); G02F 2203/50 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method comprising:
coupling single photons from an array of single-photon sources into a plurality of neural network layers, the plurality of neural network layers comprising alternating arrays of interconnected optical switches and arrays of single-photon nonlinearities;
performing respective linear operations on the single photons at each of the arrays of interconnected optical switches;
performing respective nonlinear operations on the single photons at each of the arrays of single-photon nonlinearities; and
detecting the single photons emitted by the plurality of neural network layers with an array of single-photon detectors.