Mapping multiple photonic qubits into and out of one solid-state atomic ensemble

Frequency-multiplexed on-demand storage in five modes of atomic frequency comb through simultaneous application of control pulses

In quantum communication with quantum repeaters, multiplexed quantum memory is expected to enhance communication rates. When using an atomic frequency comb (AFC) for on-demand storage, the frequency mode number is often limited by the optical power of the control pulses. Here, using a space-coupled waveguide electro-optic modulator, we increased the output power, allowing us to apply control pulses to multiple modes simultaneously. Further, through enhancement of an experimental setup that increases power density, we increased the number of modes. Consequently, we pioneered, to the best of our knowledge, on-demand storage using five modes of AFC. This technology is a significant achievement toward frequency-multiplexed on-demand quantum memory.

Quantum storage of entangled photons at telecom wavelengths in a crystal

Quantum storage and distribution of entanglement are the key ingredients for realizing a global quantum internet. Compatible with existing fiber networks, telecom-wavelength entangled photons and corresponding quantum memories are of central interest. Recently, 167Er3+ ions have been identified as a promising candidate for an efficient telecom quantum memory. However, to date, no storage of entangled photons, the crucial step of quantum memory using these promising ions, 167Er3+, has been reported. Here, we demonstrate the storage and retrieval of the entangled state of two telecom photons generated from an integrated photonic chip. Combining the natural narrow linewidth of the entangled photons and long storage time of 167Er3+ ions, we achieve storage time of 1.936 μs, more than 387 times longer than in previous works. Successful storage of entanglement in the crystal is certified using entanglement witness measurements. These results pave the way for realizing quantum networks based on solid-state devices.

Zeeman spectroscopy and crystal-field analysis of low symmetry centres in Nd3+doped Y2SiO5

We report on infrared to visible Zeeman absorption spectroscopy and parameterised crystal-field modelling of Nd³⁺centres in Y₂SiO₅through the use of experimentally inferred crystal-field energy levels and Zeeman directional electronicgvalues. We demonstrate that good agreement between the calculated and experimental crystal-field energy levels as well as directional Zeemangvalues along all three crystallographic axes can be obtained. Further, we demonstrate that the addition of correlation crystal field effects successfully account for discrepancies that arise between the calculated and experimental values relevant to the²H11/2(2) multiplet in a one-electron crystal field model.

Multiplexed random-access optical memory in warm cesium vapor

The ability to store large amounts of photonic quantum states is regarded as substantial for future optical quantum computation and communication technologies. However, research for multiplexed quantum memories has been focused on systems that show good performance only after an elaborate preparation of the storage media. This makes it generally more difficult to apply outside a laboratory environment. In this work, we demonstrate a multiplexed random-access memory to store up to four optical pulses using electromagnetically induced transparency in warm cesium vapor. Using a Λ-System on the hyperfine transitions of the Cs D1 line, we achieve a mean internal storage efficiency of 36% and a 1/e lifetime of 3.2 µs. In combination with future improvements, this work facilitates the implementation of multiplexed memories in future quantum communication and computation infrastructures.

Cavity-enhanced and temporally multiplexed atom-photon entanglement interface

Practical realization of quantum repeaters requires quantum memories with high retrieval efficiency, multi-mode storage capacities, and long lifetimes. Here, we report a high-retrieval-efficiency and temporally multiplexed atom-photon entanglement source. A train of 12 write pulses in time is applied to a cold atomic ensemble along different directions, which generates temporally multiplexed pairs of Stokes photons and spin waves via Duan-Lukin-Cirac-Zoller processes. The two arms of a polarization interferometer are used to encode photonic qubits of 12 Stokes temporal modes. The multiplexed spin-wave qubits, each of which is entangled with one Stokes qubit, are stored in a "clock" coherence. A ring cavity that resonates simultaneously with the two arms of the interferometer is used to enhance retrieval from the spin-wave qubits, with the intrinsic retrieval efficiency reaching 70.4%. The multiplexed source gives rise to a ∼12.1-fold increase in atom-photon entanglement-generation probability compared to the single-mode source. The measured Bell parameter for the multiplexed atom-photon entanglement is 2.21(2), along with a memory lifetime of up to ∼125 µs.

Photon echoes using atomic frequency combs in Pr:YSO - experiment and semiclassical theory

Photon echoes in rare-earth-doped crystals are studied to understand the challenges of making broadband quantum memories using the atomic frequency comb (AFC) protocol in systems with hyperfine structure. The hyperfine structure of Pr³⁺ poses an obstacle to this goal because frequencies associated with the hyperfine transitions change the simple picture of modulation at an externally imposed frequency. The current work focuses on the intermediate case where the hyperfine spacing is comparable to the comb spacing, a challenging regime that has recently been considered. Operating in this regime may facilitate storing quantum information over a larger spectral range in such systems. In this work, we prepare broadband AFCs using optical combs with tooth spacings ranging from 1 MHz to 16 MHz in fine steps, and measure transmission spectra and photon echoes for each. We predict the spectra and echoes theoretically using the optical combs as input to either a rate equation code or a density matrix code, which calculates the redistribution of populations. We then use the redistributed populations as input to a semiclassical theory using the frequency-dependent dielectric function. The two sets of predictions each give a good, but different account of the photon echoes.

Non-classical correlations over 1250 modes between telecom photons and 979-nm photons stored in 171Yb3+:Y2SiO5

Quantum repeaters based on heralded entanglement require quantum nodes that are able to generate multimode quantum correlations between memories and telecommunication photons. The communication rate scales linearly with the number of modes, yet highly multimode quantum storage remains challenging. In this work, we demonstrate an atomic frequency comb quantum memory with a time-domain mode capacity of 1250 modes and a bandwidth of 100 MHz. The memory is based on a Y₂SiO₅ crystal doped with ¹⁷¹Yb³⁺ ions, with a memory wavelength of 979 nm. The memory is interfaced with a source of non-degenerate photon pairs at 979 and 1550 nm, bandwidth-matched to the quantum memory. We obtain strong non-classical second-order cross correlations over all modes, for storage times of up to 25 μs. The telecommunication photons propagated through 5 km of fiber before the release of the memory photons, a key capability for quantum repeaters based on heralded entanglement and feed-forward operations. Building on this experiment should allow distribution of entanglement between remote quantum nodes, with enhanced rates owing to the high multimode capacity.

Multimode operation would greatly improve the performances of quantum repeaters. Here, the authors demonstrate a fixed-delay atomic frequency comb quantum memory, based on a Y2SiO5 crystal doped with Ytterbium ions, with a time-domain mode capacity of 1250 modes and a bandwidth of 100 MHz.

On-Demand Integrated Quantum Memory for Polarization Qubits

Photonic polarization qubits are widely used in quantum computation and quantum communication due to the robustness in transmission and the easy qubit manipulation. An integrated quantum memory for polarization qubits is a useful building block for large-scale integrated quantum networks. However, on-demand storing polarization qubits in an integrated quantum memory is a long-standing challenge due to the anisotropic absorption of solids and the polarization-dependent features of microstructures. Here we demonstrate a reliable on-demand quantum memory for polarization qubits, using a depressed-cladding waveguide fabricated in a ^{151}Eu^{3+}:Y_{2}SiO_{5} crystal. The site-2 ^{151}Eu^{3+} ions in Y_{2}SiO_{5} crystal provides a near-uniform absorption for arbitrary polarization states and a new pump sequence is developed to prepare a wideband and enhanced absorption profile. A fidelity of 99.4±0.6% is obtained for the qubit storage process with an input of 0.32 photons per pulse, together with a storage bandwidth of 10 MHz. This reliable integrated quantum memory for polarization qubits reveals the potential for use in the construction of integrated quantum networks.

Room temperature atomic frequency comb storage for light

We demonstrate coherent storage and retrieval of pulsed light using the atomic frequency comb protocol in a room temperature alkali vapor. We utilize velocity-selective optical pumping to prepare multiple velocity classes in the F=4 hyperfine ground state of cesium. The frequency spacing of the classes is chosen to coincide with the F^'=4-F^'=5 hyperfine splitting of the 6²P_3/2 excited state, resulting in a broadband periodic absorbing structure consisting of two usually Doppler-broadened optical transitions. Weak coherent states of duration 2ns are mapped into this atomic frequency comb with pre-programmed recall times of 8ns and 12ns, with multi-temporal mode storage and recall demonstrated. Utilizing two transitions in the comb leads to an additional interference effect upon rephasing that enhances the recall efficiency.

Macroscopically entangled light fields

A novel method of macroscopically entangled light-pair generation is presented for a quantum laser using randomness-based deterministic phase control of coherent light in a coupled Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI). Unlike the particle nature-based quantum correlation in conventional quantum mechanics, the wave nature of photons is applied for collective phase control of coherent fields, resulting in a deterministically controllable nonclassical phenomenon. For the proof of principle, the entanglement between output light fields from a coupled MZI is examined using the Hong-Ou-Mandel-type anticorrelation technique, where the anticorrelation is a direct evidence of the nonclassical features in an interferometric scheme. For the generation of random phase bases between two bipartite input coherent fields, a deterministic control of opposite frequency shifts results in phase sensitive anticorrelation, which is a macroscopic quantum feature.

Quantum Communication between Multiplexed Atomic Quantum Memories

The use of multiplexed atomic quantum memories (MAQM) can significantly enhance the efficiency to establish entanglement in a quantum network. In the previous experiments, individual elements of a quantum network, such as the generation, storage, and transmission of quantum entanglement have been demonstrated separately. Here we report an experiment to show the compatibility and integration of these basic operations. Specifically, we generate photon-atom entanglement from any chosen pair of memory cells in a 6×5 MAQM, convert the spin-wave to time-bin photonic excitation after a controllable storage time, and then store and retrieve the photon in a second MAQM for another controllable storage time. The preservation of quantum information in this process is verified by measuring the state fidelity. We also demonstrate that higher dimension quantum states can be transferred between the two distant MAQMs.

Cold-Atom Temporally Multiplexed Quantum Memory with Cavity-Enhanced Noise Suppression

Future quantum repeater architectures, capable of efficiently distributing information encoded in quantum states of light over large distances, will benefit from multiplexed photonic quantum memories. In this work we demonstrate a temporally multiplexed quantum repeater node in a laser-cooled cloud of ^{87}Rb atoms. We employ the Duan-Lukin-Cirac-Zoller protocol where pairs of photons and single collective spin excitations (so-called spin waves) are created in several temporal modes using a train of write pulses. To make the spin waves created in different temporal modes distinguishable and enable selective readout, we control the dephasing and rephasing of the spin waves by a magnetic field gradient, which induces a controlled reversible inhomogeneous broadening of the involved atomic hyperfine levels. We demonstrate that by embedding the atomic ensemble inside a low finesse optical cavity, the additional noise generated in multimode operation is strongly suppressed. By employing feed forward readout, we demonstrate distinguishable retrieval of up to 10 temporal modes. For each mode, we prove nonclassical correlations between the first and second photon. Furthermore, an enhancement in rates of correlated photon pairs is observed as we increase the number of temporal modes stored in the memory. The reported capability is a key element of a quantum repeater architecture based on multiplexed quantum memories.

Optical Spin-Wave Storage in a Solid-State Hybridized Electron-Nuclear Spin Ensemble

Solid-state impurity spins with optical control are currently investigated for quantum networks and repeaters. Among these, rare-earth-ion doped crystals are promising as quantum memories for light, with potentially long storage time, high multimode capacity, and high bandwidth. However, with spins there is often a tradeoff between bandwidth, which favors electronic spin, and memory time, which favors nuclear spins. Here, we present optical storage experiments using highly hybridized electron-nuclear hyperfine states in ^{171}Yb^{3+}:Y_{2}SiO_{5}, where the hybridization can potentially offer both long storage time and high bandwidth. We reach a storage time of 1.2 ms and an optical storage bandwidth of 10 MHz that is currently only limited by the Rabi frequency of the optical control pulses. The memory efficiency in this proof-of-principle demonstration was about 3%. The experiment constitutes the first optical storage using spin states in any rare-earth ion with electronic spin. These results pave the way for rare-earth based quantum memories with high bandwidth, long storage time, and high multimode capacity, a key resource for quantum repeaters.

Quantum Storage of Frequency-Multiplexed Heralded Single Photons

We report on the quantum storage of a heralded frequency-multiplexed single photon in an integrated laser-written rare-earth doped waveguide. The single photon contains 15 discrete frequency modes separated by 261 MHz and spanning across 4 GHz. It is obtained from a nondegenerate photon pair created via cavity-enhanced spontaneous down-conversion, where the heralding photon is at telecom wavelength and the heralded photon is at 606 nm. The frequency-multimode photon is stored in a praseodymium-doped waveguide using the atomic frequency comb (AFC) scheme, by creating multiple combs within the inhomogeneous broadening of the crystal. Thanks to the intrinsic temporal multimodality of the AFC scheme, each spectral bin includes 9 temporal modes, such that the total number of stored modes is about 130. We demonstrate that the storage preserves the nonclassical properties of the single photon, and its normalized frequency spectrum.

Electron paramagnetic resonance enhanced crystal field analysis for low point-group symmetry systems: C2v sites in Sm3+:CaF2/SrF2

We present a comprehensive spectroscopic study of C[Formula: see text] point-group symmetry sites in Sm[Formula: see text]:CaF[Formula: see text]/SrF[Formula: see text] codoped with either NaF or LiF. Data includes electron paramagnetic resonance measurements of Zeeman and hyperfine interactions for the ground state, as well as site-selective excitation and fluorescence spectroscopy up to the [Formula: see text]G[Formula: see text] multiplet. Inclusion of the EPR data allowed us to determine unique crystal-field parameters. The parameters provide information about the geometry of the sites and the nature of the interactions between the Sm[Formula: see text] dopant and the alkaline earth co-dopant.

Optically Addressing Single Rare-Earth Ions in a Nanophotonic Cavity

We demonstrate optical probing of spectrally resolved single Nd^{3+} rare-earth ions in yttrium orthovanadate. The ions are coupled to a photonic crystal resonator and show strong enhancement of the optical emission rate via the Purcell effect, resulting in near radiatively limited single photon emission. The measured high coupling cooperativity between a single photon and the ion allows for the observation of coherent optical Rabi oscillations. This could enable optically controlled spin qubits, quantum logic gates, and spin-photon interfaces for future quantum networks.

Multiplexed storage and real-time manipulation based on a multiple degree-of-freedom quantum memory

The faithful storage and coherent manipulation of quantum states with matter-systems would enable the realization of large-scale quantum networks based on quantum repeaters. To achieve useful communication rates, highly multimode quantum memories are required to construct a multiplexed quantum repeater. Here, we present a demonstration of on-demand storage of orbital-angular-momentum states with weak coherent pulses at the single-photon-level in a rare-earth-ion-doped crystal. Through the combination of this spatial degree-of-freedom (DOF) with temporal and spectral degrees of freedom, we create a multiple-DOF memory with high multimode capacity. This device can serve as a quantum mode converter with high fidelity, which is a fundamental requirement for the construction of a multiplexed quantum repeater. This device further enables essentially arbitrary spectral and temporal manipulations of spatial-qutrit-encoded photonic pulses in real time. Therefore, the developed quantum memory can serve as a building block for scalable photonic quantum information processing architectures.

A wavelength-convertible quantum memory: Controlled echo

Quantum coherence control is reinvestigated for a new physical insight in quantum nonlinear optics and applied for a wavelength-convertible quantum memory in a solid ensemble whose spin states are inhomogeneously broadened. Unlike typical atomic media whose spin decays are homogeneous, a spin inhomogeneously broadened solid ensemble requires a counter-intuitive quantum coherence control to avoid spontaneous emission-caused quantum noises. Such a quantum coherence control in a solid ensemble satisfying both near perfect retrieval efficiency and ultralong photon storage offers a solid framework to quantum repeaters, scalable qubit generations, quantum cryptography, and highly sensitive magnetometry. Here, the basic physics of the counter-intuitive quantum coherence control is presented not only for a fundamental understanding of collective ensemble phase control but also for a coherence conversion mechanism between optical and spin states involving Raman rephasing.

Controlled size reduction of rare earth doped nanoparticles for optical quantum technologies

Chemical etching is a promising way to synthesize RE:Y₂O₃ nanoparticles with controlled size and long coherence lifetimes, opening the way to optical micro/nano-cavities coupling and efficient nanoscale quantum memories and processors.

Environment spectrum and coherence behaviours in a rare-earth doped crystal for quantum memory

We theoretically investigate the dynamics of environment and coherence behaviours of the central ion in a quantum memory based on a rare-earth doped crystal. The interactions between the central ion and the bath spins suppress the flip-flop rate of the neighbour bath spins and yield a specific environment spectral density S(ω). Under dynamical decoupling pulses, this spectrum provides a general scaling for the coherence envelope and coherence time, which significantly extend over a range on an hour-long time scale. The characterized environment spectrum with ultra-long coherence time can be used to implement various quantum communication and information processing protocols.

Experimental realization of a multiplexed quantum memory with 225 individually accessible memory cells

To realize long-distance quantum communication and quantum network, it is required to have multiplexed quantum memory with many memory cells. Each memory cell needs to be individually addressable and independently accessible. Here we report an experiment that realizes a multiplexed DLCZ-type quantum memory with 225 individually accessible memory cells in a macroscopic atomic ensemble. As a key element for quantum repeaters, we demonstrate that entanglement with flying optical qubits can be stored into any neighboring memory cells and read out after a programmable time with high fidelity. Experimental realization of a multiplexed quantum memory with many individually accessible memory cells and programmable control of its addressing and readout makes an important step for its application in quantum information technology.

To realize long-distance quantum communication it is required to have individually addressable quantum memories with programmable access to many cells. Here the authors report DLCZ-type quantum memories with 225 individually accessible memory cells in a macroscopic atomic ensemble

Broadband unidirectional behavior of electromagnetic waves based on transformation optics

High directive antennas are fundamental elements for microwave communication and information processing. Here, inspired by the method of transformation optics, we propose and demonstrate a transformation medium to control the transmission path of a point source, resulting in the unidirectional behavior of electromagnetic waves (directional emitter) without any reflectors. The network of inductor-capacitor transmission lines is designed to experimentally realize the transformation medium. Furthermore, the designed device can work in a broadband frequency range. The unidirectional-manner-based device demonstrated in this work will be an important step forward in developing a new type of directive antennas.

Temporal Multimode Storage of Entangled Photon Pairs

Multiplexed quantum memories capable of storing and processing entangled photons are essential for the development of quantum networks. In this context, we demonstrate and certify the simultaneous storage and retrieval of two entangled photons inside a solid-state quantum memory and measure a temporal multimode capacity of ten modes. This is achieved by producing two polarization-entangled pairs from parametric down-conversion and mapping one photon of each pair onto a rare-earth-ion-doped (REID) crystal using the atomic frequency comb (AFC) protocol. We develop a concept of indirect entanglement witnesses, which can be used as Schmidt number witnesses, and we use it to experimentally certify the presence of more than one entangled pair retrieved from the quantum memory. Our work puts forward REID-AFC as a platform compatible with temporal multiplexing of several entangled photon pairs along with a new entanglement certification method, useful for the characterization of multiplexed quantum memories.

Quantum memories: emerging applications and recent advances

Quantum light-matter interfaces are at the heart of photonic quantum technologies. Quantum memories for photons, where non-classical states of photons are mapped onto stationary matter states and preserved for subsequent retrieval, are technical realizations enabled by exquisite control over interactions between light and matter. The ability of quantum memories to synchronize probabilistic events makes them a key component in quantum repeaters and quantum computation based on linear optics. This critical feature has motivated many groups to dedicate theoretical and experimental research to develop quantum memory devices. In recent years, exciting new applications, and more advanced developments of quantum memories, have proliferated. In this review, we outline some of the emerging applications of quantum memories in optical signal processing, quantum computation and non-linear optics. We review recent experimental and theoretical developments, and their impacts on more advanced photonic quantum technologies based on quantum memories.

A multiplexed light-matter interface for fibre-based quantum networks

Processing and distributing quantum information using photons through fibre-optic or free-space links are essential for building future quantum networks. The scalability needed for such networks can be achieved by employing photonic quantum states that are multiplexed into time and/or frequency, and light-matter interfaces that are able to store and process such states with large time-bandwidth product and multimode capacities. Despite important progress in developing such devices, the demonstration of these capabilities using non-classical light remains challenging. Here, employing the atomic frequency comb quantum memory protocol in a cryogenically cooled erbium-doped optical fibre, we report the quantum storage of heralded single photons at a telecom-wavelength (1.53 μm) with a time-bandwidth product approaching 800. Furthermore, we demonstrate frequency-multimode storage and memory-based spectral-temporal photon manipulation. Notably, our demonstrations rely on fully integrated quantum technologies operating at telecommunication wavelengths. With improved storage efficiency, our light-matter interface may become a useful tool in future quantum networks.

Scalable networks for processing and distribution of quantum information using photons can be achieved by using multiplexed quantum states. Here, the authors report frequency-multimode storage and spectral-temporal photon manipulation of heralded single photons at telecom wavelength, in a fully integrated setting.

Magnon dark modes and gradient memory

Extensive efforts have been expended in developing hybrid quantum systems to overcome the short coherence time of superconducting circuits by introducing the naturally long-lived spin degree of freedom. Among all the possible materials, single-crystal yttrium iron garnet has shown up recently as a promising candidate for hybrid systems, and various highly coherent interactions, including strong and even ultrastrong coupling, have been demonstrated. One distinct advantage in these systems is that spins form well-defined magnon modes, which allows flexible and precise tuning. Here we demonstrate that by dissipation engineering, a non-Markovian interaction dynamics between the magnon and the microwave cavity photon can be achieved. Such a process enables us to build a magnon gradient memory to store information in the magnon dark modes, which decouple from the microwave cavity and thus preserve a long lifetime. Our findings provide a promising approach for developing long-lifetime, multimode quantum memories.

Yttrium iron garnet is a ferrimagnetic insulator which demonstrates robust photon-spin coupling in hybrid microwave cavity systems. Here, the authors demonstrate a magnon gradient memory based on the dark modes of a strongly-coupled system of multiple yttrium iron garnet spheres.

Controlled Rephasing of Single Collective Spin Excitations in a Cold Atomic Quantum Memory

We demonstrate active control of inhomogeneous dephasing and rephasing for single collective atomic spin excitations (spin waves) created by spontaneous Raman scattering in a quantum memory based on cold 87Rb atoms. The control is provided by a reversible external magnetic field gradient inducing an inhomogeneous broadening of the atomic hyperfine levels. We demonstrate experimentally that active rephasing preserves the single photon nature of the retrieved photons. Finally, we show that the control of the inhomogeneous dephasing enables the creation of time-separated spin waves in a single ensemble followed by a selective read-out in time. This is an important step towards the implementation of a functional temporally multiplexed quantum repeater node.

Storage of multiple single-photon pulses emitted from a quantum dot in a solid-state quantum memory

Quantum repeaters are critical components for distributing entanglement over long distances in presence of unavoidable optical losses during transmission. Stimulated by the Duan–Lukin–Cirac–Zoller protocol, many improved quantum repeater protocols based on quantum memories have been proposed, which commonly focus on the entanglement-distribution rate. Among these protocols, the elimination of multiple photons (or multiple photon-pairs) and the use of multimode quantum memory are demonstrated to have the ability to greatly improve the entanglement-distribution rate. Here, we demonstrate the storage of deterministic single photons emitted from a quantum dot in a polarization-maintaining solid-state quantum memory; in addition, multi-temporal-mode memory with 1, 20 and 100 narrow single-photon pulses is also demonstrated. Multi-photons are eliminated, and only one photon at most is contained in each pulse. Moreover, the solid-state properties of both sub-systems make this configuration more stable and easier to be scalable. Our work will be helpful in the construction of efficient quantum repeaters based on all-solid-state devices.

Quantum repeaters are critical components for distributing entanglement over long distances, and they can be improved by the elimination of multi-photon-pair events. Here, the authors demonstrate the storage of single photons emitted by a quantum dot in a polarization maintaining solid-state memory.

Nanophotonic coherent light-matter interfaces based on rare-earth-doped crystals

Quantum light–matter interfaces connecting stationary qubits to photons will enable optical networks for quantum communications, precise global time keeping, photon switching and studies of fundamental physics. Rare-earth-ion-doped crystals are state-of-the-art materials for optical quantum memories and quantum transducers between optical photons, microwave photons and spin waves. Here we demonstrate coupling of an ensemble of neodymium rare-earth-ions to photonic nanocavities fabricated in the yttrium orthosilicate host crystal. Cavity quantum electrodynamics effects including Purcell enhancement (F=42) and dipole-induced transparency are observed on the highly coherent ⁴I_9/2–⁴F_3/2 optical transition. Fluctuations in the cavity transmission due to statistical fine structure of the atomic density are measured, indicating operation at the quantum level. Coherent optical control of cavity-coupled rare-earth ions is performed via photon echoes. Long optical coherence times (T₂∼100 μs) and small inhomogeneous broadening are measured for the cavity-coupled rare-earth ions, thus demonstrating their potential for on-chip scalable quantum light–matter interfaces.

Quantum light–matter interfaces connecting stationary qubits to photons are fundamental elements of future quantum optical networks. Here, the authors report a quantum interface based on highly coherent rare-earth ions—the solid-state qubits—coupled to a nanophotonic cavity fabricated in the host crystal.

Coherent storage of microwave excitations in rare-earth nuclear spins

Interfacing between various elements of a computer--from memory to processors to long range communication--will be as critical for quantum computers as it is for classical computers today. Paramagnetic rare-earth doped crystals, such as Nd(3+):Y2SiO5(YSO), are excellent candidates for such a quantum interface: they are known to exhibit long optical coherence lifetimes (for communication via optical photons), possess a nuclear spin (memory), and have in addition an electron spin that can offer hybrid coupling with superconducting qubits (processing). Here we study two of these three elements, demonstrating coherent storage and retrieval between electron and (145)Nd nuclear spin states in Nd(3+):YSO. We find nuclear spin coherence times can reach 9 ms at ∼5  K, about 2 orders of magnitude longer than the electron spin coherence, while quantum state and process tomography of the storage or retrieval operation between the electron and nuclear spin reveal an average state fidelity of 0.86. The times and fidelities are expected to further improve at lower temperatures and with more homogeneous radio-frequency excitation.

Magneto-optic modulator with unit quantum efficiency

We propose a device for the reversible and quiet conversion of microwave photons to optical sideband photons that can reach 100% quantum efficiency. The device is based on an erbium-doped crystal placed in both an optical and microwave resonator. We show that efficient conversion can be achieved so long as the product of the optical and microwave cooperativity factors can be made large. We argue that achieving this regime is feasible with current technology and we discuss a possible implementation.

Spectral multiplexing for scalable quantum photonics using an atomic frequency comb quantum memory and feed-forward control

Future multiphoton applications of quantum optics and quantum information science require quantum memories that simultaneously store many photon states, each encoded into a different optical mode, and enable one to select the mapping between any input and a specific retrieved mode during storage. Here we show, with the example of a quantum repeater, how to employ spectrally multiplexed states and memories with fixed storage times that allow such mapping between spectral modes. Furthermore, using a Ti:Tm:LiNbO_{3} waveguide cooled to 3 K, a phase modulator, and a spectral filter, we demonstrate storage followed by the required feed-forward-controlled frequency manipulation with time-bin qubits encoded into up to 26 multiplexed spectral modes and 97% fidelity.

Quantum storage of heralded single photons in a praseodymium-doped crystal

We report on experiments demonstrating the reversible mapping of heralded single photons to long-lived collective optical atomic excitations stored in a Pr3+:Y2SiO5 crystal. A cavity-enhanced spontaneous down-conversion source is employed to produce widely nondegenerate narrow-band (≈2  MHz) photon pairs. The idler photons, whose frequency is compatible with telecommunication optical fibers, are used to herald the creation of the signal photons, compatible with the Pr3+ transition. The signal photons are stored and retrieved using the atomic frequency comb protocol. We demonstrate storage times up to 4.5  μs while preserving nonclassical correlations between the heralding and the retrieved photon. This is more than 20 times longer than in previous realizations in solid state devices, and implemented in a system ideally suited for the extension to spin-wave storage.

Precision measurement of electronic ion-ion interactions between neighboring Eu3+ optical centers

We report measurements of discrete excitation-induced frequency shifts on the 7F0→5D0 transition of the Eu+ center in La:Lu:EuCl3·6D2O resulting from the optical excitation of neighboring Eu3+ ions. Shifts of up to 46.081±0.005  MHz were observed. The magnitude of the interaction between neighboring ions was found to be significantly larger than expected from the electric dipole-dipole mechanism often observed in rare earth systems. We show that a large network of interacting and individually addressable centers can be created by lightly doping crystals otherwise stoichiometric in the optically active rare earth ion, and that this network could be used to implement a quantum processor with more than ten qubits.

Efficient spectral hole-burning and atomic frequency comb storage in Nd(3+):YLiF4

We present spectral hole-burning measurements of the ⁴I_9/2 → ⁴F_3/2 transition in Nd³⁺:YLiF₄. The isotope shifts of Nd³⁺ can be directly resolved in the optical absorption spectrum. We report atomic frequency comb storage with an echo efficiency of up to 35% and a memory bandwidth of 60 MHz in this material. The interesting properties show the potential of this material for use in both quantum and classical information processing.

Experimental implementation of bit commitment in the noisy-storage model

Fundamental primitives such as bit commitment and oblivious transfer serve as building blocks for many other two-party protocols. Hence, the secure implementation of such primitives is important in modern cryptography. Here we present a bit commitment protocol that is secure as long as the attacker's quantum memory device is imperfect. The latter assumption is known as the noisy-storage model. We experimentally executed this protocol by performing measurements on polarization-entangled photon pairs. Our work includes a full security analysis, accounting for all experimental error rates and finite size effects. This demonstrates the feasibility of two-party protocols in this model using real-world quantum devices. Finally, we provide a general analysis of our bit commitment protocol for a range of experimental parameters.

Efficient quantum memory using a weakly absorbing sample

A light-storage experiment with a total (storage and retrieval) efficiency η=56% is carried out by enclosing a sample, with a single-pass absorption of 10%, in an impedance-matched cavity. The experiment is carried out using the atomic frequency comb (AFC) technique in a praseodymium-doped crystal (0.05%Pr(3+):Y2SiO5) and the cavity is created by depositing reflection coatings directly onto the crystal surfaces. The AFC technique has previously by far demonstrated the highest multimode capacity of all quantum memory concepts tested experimentally. We claim that the present work shows that it is realistic to create efficient, on-demand, long storage time AFC memories.

Enhancing multiphoton rates with quantum memories

Single photons are a vital resource for optical quantum information processing. Efficient and deterministic single photon sources do not yet exist, however. To date, experimental demonstrations of quantum processing primitives have been implemented using nondeterministic sources combined with heralding and/or postselection. Unfortunately, even for eight photons, the data rates are already so low as to make most experiments impracticable. It is well known that quantum memories, capable of storing photons until they are needed, are a potential solution to this "scaling catastrophe." Here, we analyze in detail the benefits of quantum memories for producing multiphoton states, showing how the production rates can be enhanced by many orders of magnitude. We identify the quantity ηB as the most important figure of merit in this connection, where η and B are the efficiency and time-bandwidth product of the memories, respectively.

Experimental realization of light with time-separated correlations by rephasing amplified spontaneous emission

Amplified spontaneous emission is a common noise source in active optical systems, it is generally seen as being an incoherent process. Here we excite an ensemble of rare earth ion dopants in a solid with a π pulse, resulting in amplified spontaneous emission. The application of a second π pulse leads to a coherent echo of the amplified spontaneous emission that is correlated in both amplitude and phase. For small optical thicknesses, we see evidence that the amplified spontaneous emission and its echo are entangled.

Multipulse addressing of a Raman quantum memory: configurable beam splitting and efficient readout

Quantum memories are vital to the scalability of photonic quantum information processing (PQIP), since the storage of photons enables repeat-until-success strategies. On the other hand, the key element of all PQIP architectures is the beam splitter, which allows us to coherently couple optical modes. Here, we show how to combine these crucial functionalities by addressing a Raman quantum memory with multiple control pulses. The result is a coherent optical storage device with an extremely large time bandwidth product, that functions as an array of dynamically configurable beam splitters, and that can be read out with arbitrarily high efficiency. Networks of such devices would allow fully scalable PQIP, with applications in quantum computation, long distance quantum communications and quantum metrology.

Quantum storage of heralded polarization qubits in birefringent and anisotropically absorbing materials

Storage of quantum information encoded into heralded single photons is an essential constituent of long-distance quantum communication based on quantum repeaters and of optical quantum information processing. The storage of photonic polarization qubits is, however, difficult because many materials are birefringent and have polarization-dependent absorption. Here we present a simple scheme that eliminates these polarization effects, and we demonstrate it by storing heralded polarization qubits into a solid-state quantum memory. The quantum memory is implemented with a biaxial yttrium orthosilicate (Y2SiO5) crystal doped with rare-earth ions. Heralded single photons generated from a filtered spontaneous parametric down-conversion source are stored, and quantum state tomography of the retrieved polarization state reveals an average fidelity of 97.5±0.4%, which is significantly higher than what is achievable with a measure-and-prepare strategy.

Quantum storage of a photonic polarization qubit in a solid

We report on the quantum storage and retrieval of photonic polarization quantum bits onto and out of a solid state storage device. The qubits are implemented with weak coherent states at the single photon level, and are stored for a predetermined time of 500 ns in a praseodymium doped crystal with a storage and retrieval efficiency of 10%, using the atomic frequency comb scheme. We characterize the storage by using quantum state tomography, and find that the average conditional fidelity of the retrieved qubits exceeds 95% for a mean photon number μ=0.4. This is significantly higher than a classical benchmark, taking into account the poissonian statistics and finite memory efficiency, which proves that our crystal functions as a quantum storage device for polarization qubits. These results extend the storage capabilities of solid state quantum light matter interfaces to polarization encoding, which is widely used in quantum information science.

Realization of reliable solid-state quantum memory for photonic polarization qubit

Faithfully storing an unknown quantum light state is essential to advanced quantum communication and distributed quantum computation applications. The required quantum memory must have high fidelity to improve the performance of a quantum network. Here we report the reversible transfer of photonic polarization states into collective atomic excitation in a compact solid-state device. The quantum memory is based on an atomic frequency comb (AFC) in rare-earth ion-doped crystals. We obtain up to 0.999 process fidelity for the storage and retrieval process of single-photon-level coherent pulse. This reliable quantum memory is a crucial step toward quantum networks based on solid-state devices.

Conditional detection of pure quantum states of light after storage in a Tm-doped waveguide

We demonstrate the conditional detection of time-bin qubits after storage in and retrieval from a photon-echo-based waveguide quantum memory. Each qubit is encoded into one member of a photon pair produced via spontaneous parametric down-conversion, and the conditioning is achieved by the detection of the other member of the pair. By performing projection measurements with the stored and retrieved photons onto different bases, we obtain an average storage fidelity of 0.885±0.020, which exceeds the relevant classical bounds and shows the suitability of our integrated light-matter interface for future applications of quantum information processing.

High efficiency coherent optical memory with warm rubidium vapour

By harnessing aspects of quantum mechanics, communication and information processing could be radically transformed. Promising forms of quantum information technology include optical quantum cryptographic systems and computing using photons for quantum logic operations. As with current information processing systems, some form of memory will be required. Quantum repeaters, which are required for long distance quantum key distribution, require quantum optical memory as do deterministic logic gates for optical quantum computing. Here, we present results from a coherent optical memory based on warm rubidium vapour and show 87% efficient recall of light pulses, the highest efficiency measured to date for any coherent optical memory suitable for quantum information applications. We also show storage and recall of up to 20 pulses from our system. These results show that simple warm atomic vapour systems have clear potential as a platform for quantum memory.

Efficient memory systems are vital for the development of quantum communications technologies. Hosseini and colleagues describe an optical memory based on warm rubidium vapour that achieves 87% pulse recall efficiency, illustrating the potential of warm atomic vapour systems for quantum memory.

Quantum storage of photonic entanglement in a crystal

Entanglement is the fundamental characteristic of quantum physics-much experimental effort is devoted to harnessing it between various physical systems. In particular, entanglement between light and material systems is interesting owing to their anticipated respective roles as 'flying' and stationary qubits in quantum information technologies (such as quantum repeaters and quantum networks). Here we report the demonstration of entanglement between a photon at a telecommunication wavelength (1,338 nm) and a single collective atomic excitation stored in a crystal. One photon from an energy-time entangled pair is mapped onto the crystal and then released into a well-defined spatial mode after a predetermined storage time. The other (telecommunication wavelength) photon is sent directly through a 50-metre fibre link to an analyser. Successful storage of entanglement in the crystal is proved by a violation of the Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt inequality by almost three standard deviations (S = 2.64 ± 0.23). These results represent an important step towards quantum communication technologies based on solid-state devices. In particular, our resources pave the way for building multiplexed quantum repeaters for long-distance quantum networks.