Researchers have created a chip-based device that can split phonons—tiny packets of mechanical vibration that can carry information in quantum systems. By filling a key gap, this device could help connect various quantum devices via phonons, paving the way for advanced computing and secure quantum communication.

“Phonons can serve as on-chip quantum messages that connect very different quantum systems, enabling hybrid networks and new ways to process quantum information in a compact, scalable format,” said research team leader Simon Gröblacher from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands.

“To build practical phononic circuits requires a full set of chip-based components that can generate, guide, split and detect individual quanta of vibrations. While sources and waveguides already exist, a compact splitter was still missing.”