Implementation of optical quantum gate for polarization-encoded qubits via acousto-optic diffraction by shear acoustic waves in vitreous media

. We demonstrate experimentally that acousto-optic diffraction by a shear acoustic wave propagating in fused silica can transform linear or circular polarization states into their orthogonal counterparts. It is also shown that a corresponding acousto-optic cell with a shear acoustic wave propagating in a vitreous medium can be used as a NOT or CNOT gate. The advantage of our method is a possibility for spatial manipulation by qubits via acousto-optic diffraction under condition of changing frequency of the acoustic wave.