Linear optical circuits that can provide reconfigurable interference between several optical modes are emerging as a powerful tool for both classical and quantum optics. In this work, we propose and demonstrate a modular architecture for building these circuits. Each module contains independent phase-controlled Mach–Zehnder interferometers, and several modules can be interfaced to build large reconfigurable interferometers. We demonstrate our approach by fabricating three modules in the form of ultraviolet-written silica-on-silicon chips. We characterize these chips, connect them to each other, and implement a wide range of linear optical transformations. Our work facilitates the development of large-scale linear optical circuits for quantum optics.

中文翻译：

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模块化线性光学电路

可以在几种光学模式之间提供可重构干涉的线性光学电路，正成为经典光学和量子光学的强大工具。在这项工作中，我们提出并演示了用于构建这些电路的模块化体系结构。每个模块都包含独立的相控Mach-Zehnder干涉仪，并且可以将多个模块连接起来以构建大型可重构干涉仪。我们通过以紫外线书写的硅基硅芯片形式制造三个模块来展示我们的方法。我们对这些芯片进行表征，将它们彼此连接，并实现各种线性光学变换。我们的工作促进了用于量子光学的大规模线性光学电路的开发。