Hybrid superconductor-optical quantum repeater

A method, in a hybrid superconductor-optical quantum repeater, for transmitting qubits between quantum computer subsystems, comprising:

• receiving an optical input signal in an optical subsystem of the hybrid superconductor-optical quantum repeater from a first quantum computer subsystem;
• down-converting the optical input signal to a microwave signal, thereby mapping a optical wavelength photon of the optical input signal to a microwave wavelength photon of the microwave signal;
• inputting the microwave signal to a superconductor subsystem of the hybrid superconductor-optical quantum repeater;
• storing a quantum state of the microwave wavelength photon in the superconductor subsystem;
• and
• transmitting the microwave wavelength photon along an output channel from the superconductor subsystem.

A system, comprising:

• a quantum computer subsystem;
• a hybrid superconductor-optical quantum repeater coupled to the quantum computer subsystem;
• and
• an interferometer subsystem coupled to the hybrid superconductor-optical quantum repeater, wherein the hybrid superconductor-optical quantum repeater comprises:
• an optical subsystem configured to receive an optical signal via an optical channel;
• and
• a superconductor subsystem coupled to the optical subsystem, wherein the optical subsystem and superconductor subsystem are coupled to one another via a microwave transmission medium, and wherein:
• the optical subsystem is configured to receive an optical signal via the optical channel and down-convert a photon of the optical signal to a microwave photon in a microwave output signal that is output to the superconductor subsystem via the microwave transmission medium, and
• the superconductor subsystem stores a quantum state of the microwave photon and transmits the microwave photon along an output channel from the superconductor subsystem.