Large-scale Ising spin network based on degenerate optical parametric oscillators

Understand

Simulating a network of Ising spins with physical systems is now emerging as a promising approach for solving mathematically intractable problems.

• Here we report a large-scale network of artificial spins based on degenerate optical parametric oscillators (DOPO), paving the way towards a photonic Ising machine capable of solving difficult combinatorial optimization problems.
• We generated >10,000 time-division-multiplexed DOPOs using dual-pump four-wave mixing (FWM) in a highly nonlinear fibre (HNLF) placed in a fibre cavity.
• Using those DOPOs, a one-dimensional (1D) Ising model was simulated by introducing nearest-neighbour optical coupling.