Improving noise threshold for optical quantum computing with the EPR photon source

Abstract

We show that the noise threshold for optical quantum computing can be significantly improved by using the EPR-type of photon source. In this implementation, the detector efficiency $\eta_{d}$ is required to be larger than 50%, and the source efficiency $\eta_{s}$ can be an arbitrarily small positive number. This threshold compares favorably with the implementation using the single-photon source, where one requires the combined efficiency $\eta_{d}\eta_{s}>2/3$. We discuss several physical setups for realization of the required EPR photon source, including the photon emitter from a single-atom cavity.