Work

Efficient storage of multidimensional telecom photons in a solid-state quantum memory

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Efficient storage of telecom-band quantum optical information represents a crucial milestone for establishing distributed quantum optical networks. Erbium ions in crystalline hosts provide a promising platform for telecom quantum memories; however, their practical applications have been hindered by demanding operational conditions, such as ultra-high magnetic fields and ultra-low temperatures. In this work, we demonstrate the storage of telecom photonic qubits encoded in polarization, frequency, and time-bin bases. Using the atomic frequency comb protocol in an Er 3+ -doped crystal, we developed a memory initialization scheme that improves storage efficiency by over an order of magnitude. The observed results were made possible by the deliberate selection of the pumping sequence and the minimization of lattice interactions, to the extent possible without the use of dilution refrigerators or superconducting magnets.

Source: Optica Quantum

DOI: 10.1364/opticaq.564321

Authors: Zongfeng Li, Yisheng Lei, Trevor Kling, Mahdi Hosseini

Institution: Purdue University West Lafayette

Language: English

Topic: Quantum optics and atomic interactions

Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: diamond

Funders: National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Advanced Scientific Computing Research

Awards: G1993817238, G371553574, Collective Interaction of Photons with Rare Earth Ions on a Photonic Chip